Time Apart
by Karaoke Risa
Summary: Squinoa- COMPLETE- Squall and Rinoa have decided to take a break in their relationship to simply be friends, but they may not be able to handle the separation as well as they thought... Meanwhile, there's trouble brewing with Garden...
1. The BreakUp

Author's note: Ok, so this is a strange little story I'm experimenting with... this is my first time posting on FF, and I'm still having format problems... (meaning I still can't get the italics to work, so I'm using for thoughts)... so bear with me. You don't have to review... I'm not all that worried about it, so don't feel obligated... but if you want to do it anyway, I'll definitely read it. Anyway... here's the first chapter.  
  
Another A/N: I've just re-read this story up to where I last left off, and I have to say chapters 1-5 kinda suck. I ask that you read it all anyway, however, because I think the story progresses nicely after that. Things don't really get interesting until then, and the plot really starts to pick up. So, even if you don't like this chapter, or the next few, please keep reading, anyway. I think you won't be disappointed.  
  
Time Apart  
  
Chapter One: The Break-Up  
  
"This really is gonna be weird, you know...?," Rinoa Heartilly blurted out, chuckling nervously.  
  
"Yeah," Squall Leonhart replied, combing his hand through his shaggy brown hair.  
  
"So... I guess that's it then, huh?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
_Back to his talkative ways, I see _Rinoa thought, shaking her head.  
  
"What?" He looked at her, giving her what she called the blue stare of death.  
  
"You're just funny, Squall Leonhart," she sighed. "But in the most unconventional ways."  
  
"Yeah, I guess."  
  
She smiled and kissed his cheek.  
  
"Well, Squall... seeing that we are no longer in a relationship" Rinoa began, "I guess we should probably tell Selphie and Irvine to stop with the 'surprise' anniversary party?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess," he said.  
  
"You alright?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess."  
  
"I see you've found a replacement phrase for 'whatever'...?"  
  
He chuckled at himself, "Yeah, I guess."  
  
"It's getting old already... go back to 'whatever'."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
She grinned at him and stood from her seat on the bed, motioning for him to follow her.  
  
They walked out of Squall's dorm, headed for the ballroom; the most likely place for Selphie to be, being that their anniversary would have been tomorrow. For the first time in two years, they were walking not as a couple, but as friends. Not to say that it was a bad thing. They just decided they needed time apart, but that they weren't completely over. More like, they became friends again, but friends with potential for more in the future.  
  
It really was a totally mutual agreement; Squall was really busy these days, leaving very little time to devote to Rinoa, and ultimately making him feel like a jerk for neglecting her. She never gave him any sign of resentment or regret, though. She would always just smile sadly, knowing how overwhelmed he was with his job as Commander of Balamb Garden. It bothered her, but she felt she had no place getting upset with him for it. After all, he kind of was forced into this position. So, the idea of taking a break from waiting for him to come home every night until she finally fell asleep sounded kind of refreshing to her.  
  
There was no doubt that they still had feelings for each other, but Squall didn't want to tie her into a relationship only to be constantly left alone so he could tend to his duties. Rinoa didn't really mind the idea of taking a break... she thought this could make things interesting. They didn't separate with the purpose of seeing other people, though it wasn't forbidden. They were just freeing themselves, and each other, from having the responsibilities of a relationship that they couldn't seem to adhere to.  
  
But there was still a possible relationship to look forward to in the future.  
  
Rinoa smirked at this idea. She couldn't say she'd ever done anything like this before... it was almost unheard of in her experiences to remain friends with a former lover. It made life suddenly a little more interesting. She began to wonder how long she'd last without his touch... the touch she'd gotten so used to every night. She began to wonder how long he'd last without her touch. She smirked a little more.  
  
"What are you smirking about?," Squall asked, with a smirk of his own.  
  
"Oh... uh... nothing," she said, clearing her throat.  
  
"Hey, guys!," a high-pitched voice called out. Selphie ran like the wind trying to reach the couple before they got further into the ballroom.  
  
"Hey Selph," Rinoa greeted her, smiling. "We wanted to tell you something. And be happy, 'cause you're the first to know."  
  
"Well, what's up?" Selphie asked, flashing a cheerful smile at her two friends.  
  
"Weeelllll.... Squall and I broke up."  
  
Selphie's bright smile faded instantly. "You.... what?"  
  
"We broke up," Squall chimed in. "Don't worry, though... we're still friends. I mean, no reason to be sad, really... oh, jeez... you're not gonna cry are you?"  
  
"You what!?" Selphie squealed, her eyes wide.  
  
"Selphie, it's ok..." Rinoa assured her.  
  
"Um... um... uh..." Selphie mumbled, flustered. She finally sighed, "... Aw, crap. Do you have any idea how much work I put into a surprise party for you guys? Do ya?"  
  
Rinoa grinned, sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry about that, Selphie."  
  
"It's cool- hey! You knew about it?? Oh, who cares.... I'll just find another excuse to throw a party. Hee hee! So, what prompted this, anyway? And why do you both seem so cool about it?"  
  
"Well, it's not like we're on bad terms..." Rinoa stated. "It's more like... we still care about each other, but we're on hiatus."  
  
"Riiiiigggghhhht," Selphie said, raising an eyebrow. "So... you're not totally broken up... but you're not together....?"  
  
"Right!", Rinoa grinned.  
  
Selphie stared blankly.  
  
"I don't really think she gets it, Rin," Squall said. "It's like this... we're still gonna do things together like people in a normal relationship do, like-"  
  
"Hey," Selphie interjected, throwing her hands up. "Whatever works for you guys... I don't think I wanna know anymore. I mean, some people have role-playing games, or S&L, or whatever the hell it's called.... I can accept that this is just your way of... never mind. Just no details, please."  
  
She backed away and ran into the ballroom, leaving Squall and Rinoa standing there, amused.  
  
"Her mind's in the gutter," Squall chuckled. "I just meant a friendly relationship. I was gonna say we'd still be hanging out together like we used to."  
  
"This will take some getting used to... you sure you're up to the challenge?" Rinoa asked, smiling.  
  
"Well... we'll see. I mean, we did agree on friends with potential, remember?"  
  
"Like you said... we'll see," she smirked, "Well, I better go and get all my stuff from your dorm and move in back in mine. See you later?"  
  
"Yeah, I'll meet you guys tonight."  
  
She walked back to the direction of the dorms, as Squall stood watching her. Sighing, he turned and headed to his office.

* * *

"They what!?" Irvine Kinneas screeched, dropping the banner he was stapling to the ceiling of the ballroom.  
  
"Yeah, that was similar to my reaction," Selphie sighed.  
  
"Well... why? I thought they were doing good... did something happen? Are they ok?" Irvine asked, climbing quickly down the ladder. "How's Squall handling th-... Wait, look who I'm talking about... how's Rinoa handling this?"  
  
"That's the thing. They were acting all calm and normal," she explained, flopping onto the floor to sit cross-legged. "I thought it was some kind of joke, but then they said that they weren't really breaking up, but that they were taking a break... Ugh, I don't know... it's too confusing. Personally, I think it's some weird sex game."  
  
Irvine raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Hey, don't ask me..."  
  
"Well, so what do we do now? You've been planning this party for weeks. And I didn't work my ass off and nearly kill myself for nothing."  
  
"So, we think of another reason to have a party."  
  
"Like?" Irvine asked, tapping his foot impatiently.  
  
"Uh... throw one in honor of their... break-up...?" she said, meekly.  
  
"Offensive today, aren't we?," Irvine muttered. "Sugar, I think they might be put off a little by that."  
  
"Well, I don't know... I'm all out of ideas..." she whimpered, looking defeated.  
  
"Aw, honey... we'll think of something... I pwomise," he said with a pouty look.  
  
"Don't patronize me, Irvy," she groaned.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Eh, screw it... we don't need a reason. We'll have a party just because."

* * *

_Knock knock.  
_  
Squall barely glanced up from his paperwork, sighing. "It's open."  
  
Quistis Trepe opened the door to his office slowly, and took a seat in front of his desk. "How's it going in here?"  
  
"Busy as usual. Did you need something?" he asked, his eyes on the work in front of him.  
  
"Not really. I didn't have a class today, so I thought I'd see if you needed any help."  
  
"No, that's alright. Thanks."  
  
"You know, I really am qualified to deal with a lot of this stuff here. I know you've been swamped and I think it's time that you got someone to help-"  
  
"No. Thank you, Quistis," he interrupted.  
  
She sighed, and rose from her chair and quickly heading for the door. She paused before opening it. "I'm really curious as to why you won't let anyone help you with all of this. We all know how much stress you're under."  
  
Squall let out a breath, finally looking up at her. "I... I just... I don't really know, myself. Call it a drive to accomplish things on my own. Hell, call it a goddamn superiority complex. I don't know..."  
  
Quistis smiled, sadly. "Clamming up again? Well, don't worry. I know how you are. One of these days, though... you're gonna have to give into it. Everyone needs someone else sometimes."  
  
Squall looked thoughtfully at her for a moment, then returned his attention to his work, grumbling,"Whatever."  
  
Quistis rolled her eyes and opened the door.  
  
"Quistis," Squall said suddenly.  
  
She turned around, hopefully.  
  
"There is one thing you can do," he continued.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Go to my dorm and help Rinoa move her stuff out."  
  
Quistis paled. "Wh-what? Is she leaving?"  
  
"We, uh... we kind of broke up," he mumbled, keeping his eyes on his work.  
  
"What happened?" she gasped.  
  
"Nothing... we're just splitting up for a while."  
  
"Oh... well... o- ok. I'll go see if she needs help." She turned and walked out, bewildered. _No sense in trying to get answers out of Mysterio here._

* * *

"I think that's everything..." Rinoa muttered to herself as she closed the last box. "Right, Angelo?"  
  
The dog looked at her for a moment, then curled back into a ball.  
  
"Forget I asked," she stuck her tongue out at Angelo.  
  
"Still expecting the dog to answer you?" Quistis chuckled from the door way.  
  
"Hey, Quistis," Rinoa smiled, sheepishly.  
  
"Need any help moving this stuff?" Quistis asked, gesturing to the two large boxes by the door.  
  
"Ah. Talked to Squall, I guess. Right?"  
  
Quistis nodded, gravely. "Are you alright?"  
  
"Sure... it's not a big deal, really. We just agreed it was time to take a rest from each other," Rinoa explained, looking around the room for something she may have missed. "I guess this'll kind of be a test... you know... whether or not we belong together."  
  
"Gotcha. Seifer and I have gone through plenty of those."  
  
"Really?" Rinoa looked at her, intrigued.  
  
"Yeah..." Quistis sighed, chuckling. "And we never really last being apart too long."  
  
Rinoa nodded. "Yeah... believe it or not, I'm getting a little lonely already, just by looking around this room... knowing I'm leaving it. I already think this'll be harder than I imagined."  
  
"Well, just think of how great it'll be when Squall comes running back to you. He'll be missing you in no time," Quistis smiled, sitting on the edge of the bed.  
  
"I just don't know. Even if we do get back together later, how do I know things will be different? I don't want it to be like it was. We were both miserable. And not because of each other, but because of circumstances. I... want to be... happy... and I want to be happy with him. But..."  
  
"I know what you mean... but it will all work out, Rinoa. Squall loves you too much to give you up that easily."  
  
Rinoa smirked. "Yeah... but it's not his love I'm worried about. It's his fucking job. Ugh, I don't wanna think about it. If it's meant to be or not, who am I to argue with fate? Here... grab that box and I'll get this one."  
  
Quistis chuckled again and lifted one of the boxes, following as her best friend walked out with the other, Angelo trailing behind. 


	2. The Party

A/N: Alright... the last chapter was shorter than I thought it should be, so I might just have to have a bunch of chapters. Whatever. Now we start getting more into plot as opposed to back story and basis. Things will start happening at some point here... I hope. I'm just winging it, if you couldn't tell. Feel free to submit any ideas you may have. I may change this soon (I'm a bit of an obsessive perfectionist, and I'm never happy with my work).  
  
Chapter Two: The Party  
  
Rinoa stood in front of the mirror, taking a last look before she stepped out and into her first dance in two years as a single woman. Her dress was dark green, went just past the knees and draped perfectly over her curves. She smiled, remembering how skinny she was just a couple of years ago. Ever since her relationship with Squall, she'd become slightly more muscular and curvy due to the self-defense training he put her through almost every day.   
  
Her dark hair was pinned up in a French twist, held by a pearl hair clip. She kept her makeup light; just a little mascara and some lip gloss... Squall had always appreciated her natural beauty, even though she was always humble about her appearance and never fully thought she was all that attractive. But Squall had a way of making her feel like a goddess.   
  
Without a second glance, she grabbed her handbag and headed for the ballroom. She walked slowly, taking the long way that passed the front entrance. As she passed it, the doors swung open suddenly and a gust of wind carried in a man clad in a black suit.  
  
"Rinoa!" he called, running to her.  
  
"Zone?" she gasped, stopping.  
  
Zone reached her and pulled her into a hug, swinging her around.  
  
"How ya doin', princess?" he asked, setting her back down.  
  
"I'm... good... what the hell are you doing here?"  
  
"Not happy to see me?" he frowned.  
  
"Of course I'm happy to see you, you silly bastard," she giggled. "But what brings you here? I haven't seen you in almost a year."  
  
"Well, your friend Selphie called me and told me she was throwing you an anniversary party, so... here I am!," he beamed brightly. "Where's your man anyway? And when am I getting a wedding invitation??"  
  
"Well, Zone..." she began, leading him to the ballroom, "Squall and I broke up yesterday. It's nothing really... we're just taking a break." She sighed. How many times am I going to say this?  
  
Zone's eyes were wide. "You're... not together? Are you seeing someone else? What's the deal?"  
  
"No, no... I'm not seeing anyone. Things were just getting a little hard, so we decided it would be best to be friends for the time being," she explained.  
  
Zone smiled to himself as the neared the ballroom entrance.

* * *

"Dude, I couldn't believe it when Selphie told me," Zell Dincht said, taking a seat next to Squall in the ballroom. "I mean, I thought you guys were happy. Are you... dating someone else?"  
  
"No! Shit, man... what do you take me for?" Squall said, taken aback. "We're just... aw, shit. How many times do I have to say this?"  
  
"I know, I know. You're taking a break, yadda, yadda, yadda. I just thought... I mean, I thought you'd get married and have kids and... fuck, man... this just ruins my whole perception of love and happiness and... I don't think I'll ever be the same." Zell pretended to wipe tears from his eyes, sniffling.  
  
Squall rolled his eyes, more amused by his best friend than he let on. "Go piss up a rope, Zell."  
  
Zell let out a laugh and took a swig of his beer, then slammed the bottle back down and ran hand through his short blond hair.  
  
"Hey, boys," said a deep, smooth and perfectly velvety female's voice.  
  
They looked up to see Rinoa, looking sexy as ever, with her arm linked to Zone's. She had a smirk on her face, her almond-shaped brown eyes about half way open, lush dark lashes framing them perfectly. She stood with such proud posture, her head tilting slightly as she looked down at the two handsome men before her. Her translucent skin seemed to glow from the soft yellow light in the ballroom.   
  
Squall's steely gray eyes were fixed on her, taking in her sexuality in full force. He smelled and tasted the scent of her... a mixture of her perfume with the natural scent of her body. He felt his face flush and looked to his drink on the table. He took the champagne glass in his long fingers and threw back the contents in one swallow. She'd always had that effect on him.   
  
He took a breath and finally spoke,"Hello, Rin... hey, Zone. Good to see ya." He stole a quick glance at their linked arms, and then gestured for the passing waiter to bring him another drink.  
  
"Woah," Zell shuddered, rising from his seat. "Awkward." He walked to Rinoa, kissing her cheek in greeting, then wandered to the bar.   
  
"Mind if we sit?" Rinoa asked, amused at Squall's flustered disposition. She didn't wait for an answer an sat across from him, gesturing for Zone to sit down as well. He fumbled with the chair and plopped down next to her, glancing up at Squall nervously every few seconds.  
  
Squall noticed his behavior and chuckled, "I'm not gonna hurt you, man."  
  
Zone let out a breath and mustered a smile, embarassed at his own nervousness.   
  
"Do you need a drink?" Squall asked, still watching him with amusement. He motioned for the waiter who had just brought his drink to wait.   
  
"Yeah, that'd be n-nice," Zone stuttered.  
  
"Uh... get him a whiskey." Squall said. He then mouthed to the waiter, "Double."   
  
"Better not drink too much, Zone," Rinoa advised. "You might get a stomach cramp."  
  
Zone shot her a look, to which she just laughed.  
  
Squall listened to the sound, mesmerized by it. Her laughter was infectious, and he found himself smiling in spite of himself. Her laugh had developed over the years from a childish and playful giggle to a deep, throaty, genuine laugh. She had matured so much, Squall noticed, leaving no room for debate that she was truly a woman, and not an awkward and insecure teenager.   
  
He watched intently as she reached for a glass of champagne off of a passing tray, her long and slender fingers wrapping gracefully around the stem. Her shorter nails tapped the glass slightly as she raised the glass to her mouth. As the glass made contact with her slightly parted lips, Squall quickly looked away, shaking himself out of his reverie.   
  
_I've become such sap _he thought. _What did you to me, Rinoa?   
  
_Rinoa watched Squall for moment, slyly stealing a glance at his uniform-clad body, and sucking in a breath. Having trouble keeping the smirk off of her face, she looked to Zone, who was nursing the whiskey he'd just received.  
  
"Would you do me the honor of dancing with me?" she asked, sweetly.  
  
"Uh..." Zone mumbled, taking another quick glance at Squall. "I guess... He's not gonna kill me, is he?"  
  
Rinoa chuckled, "No, Zone he won't kill you." She stood and took Zone's hand, leading him to the floor.  
  
Squall leaned back in his chair, watching them, trying hard to fight those residual traces of jealousy. He never had been a jealous person. When he and Rinoa were a couple, they had both agreed that jealousy was a stupid and insulting way to be. It wasn't jealousy when you didn't like the other people around your significant other. It was simply lack of trust in those people. Jealousy was the lack of trust in your lover, and insecurities in yourself. And that was not the way to be.   
  
They had trusted each other entirely. Rinoa never got upset when other girls were drooling over her boyfriend. She found it flattering that people thought her man was such a great catch. It made her feel good about herself. Squall was exactly the same way. They were proud of each other.  
  
But watching her now that she wasn't his... he couldn't seem to shake the lingering sting. He knew that if she chose to, she could leave with any of the men here, and it wouldn't be his concern. Or at least, it wouldn't be his place to get upset over it. This was what they agreed. Sure, he knew that Rinoa would probably never dream of doing that so soon, but that fact remained. They were no longer a couple. His gut wrenched slightly, as the thought sank in.   
  
He downed his drink and looked away, seeing a petite, short-haired blonde walk his way. She wore a red dress... long, but with an almost inappropriately high slit on one side, revealing the top of her tanned thigh all the way to her red-painted toenails. She stopped before his table and smiled.  
  
"You looked so lonely, so I thought I'd ask if you wanted to dance, Commander," she stated.   
  
He recognized the girl from around the garden. One of Quistis' students. He was still for a moment, thinking. He had only ever danced with Rinoa, not counting an old dance instructor he'd had many years before. This would be new... He took one last look in Rinoa's direction. She was laughing at something Zone said, dancing slowly, with her arms on his shoulders.  
  
Squall smiled and stood, offering his hand to the girl and proceeded to escort her to the floor.

* * *

"Irvy, do you want another drink?" Selphie asked, reaching for his empty glass.  
  
"Sure, honey," he replied, breaking from his conversation with Quistis. He smiled at his girlfriend, then looked back to Quistis.  
  
Selphie smiled and spun around, heading for the bar when her eyes caught sight of a few select people on the dance floor. "Holy shit!" She exclaimed, nearly dropping the glass.  
  
Irvine and Quistis looked in the direction of Selphie's startled gaze and their jaws dropped. Squall was dancing, and dancing rather close, to a sexy blonde in a red dress. Quistis recognized her from one of her magic classes. She was dancing seductively, occasionally raising her exposed leg to wrap around him, as she rubbed herself up against him. Squall's eyes kept darting away to one direction, making Irvine and Quistis wonder why the hell he was doing that.   
  
Then they saw.   
  
Rinoa.

She was dancing closely with Zone, and then was trading off with another man who'd approached her moments before. It was a regular circus. She would dance with Zone for a minute, then he would trade with the other man, both dancing suggestively with her at each turn. She was laughing and dancing around happily, stealing glances at Squall and his blonde partner.

Meanwhile Squall was being just as competitive, getting more daring with his partner.  
  
Selphie dazedly stepped backward to the table and sat, never taking her eyes off of the havoc on the dancefloor. It went on for several minutes, the dancing getting more and more intense, neither dancing party noticing the attention they were receiving from all around.   
  
Then shit hit the fan.

At the very moment Rinoa looked over to Squall again, the blonde chose that moment to plant a hard, wet kiss square on Squall's mouth. His eyes opened wide for a moment and he froze, afraid to make any sudden moves.

Rinoa's eyes widened as well, then she took a breath and calmly left the floor. She walked steadily over to her friends' table and sat.  
  
"Hey, guys," she said, wiping a small bead of sweat from her brow. She grabbed the glass of wine in front of Quistis and threw it back, wincing. She didn't drink very often, and alcohol wasn't a taste she had really acquired, yet.   
  
Her friends stared at her, not sure how to react. They were half-expecting an outburst of rage, and at the the same time half-expecting her to burst into tears.   
  
But she did neither. She sat calmly, and smiled weakly at her friends, knowing that they were concerned. She kept her eyes on them, not daring to look at the dance floor, fearful of losing her composure.  
  
"It's ok, guys," she spoke softly, forcing her voice to be steady. "We're not together now. He can do whatever he wants. I'll be fine."   
  
Her friends, slightly shocked by her response, all looked over to Squall.   
  
He had watched Rinoa leave the floor right after the kiss, feeling terrible. But he was surprised to see that she didn't flip out, but walked calmly to her friends, and even smiled. He turned to his blonde dancing partner and smiled meekly, silently excusing himself off the dance floor.   
  
He began to approach the table where she and their friends sat, hoping to explain the situation to Rinoa, but paused. Sighing, he opted instead for the exit, knowing it wasn't his place to act as a boyfriend anymore. This will be a long night.


	3. The Next Morning

A/N: So the tension has certainly risen... not sure where I'm going next, but I've got some ideas. Feel free to drop any ideas for what you'd like to see happen and I'll gladly consider them.  
  
Thanks to DBH for reviewing... I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. Also, to reb for reading... don't worry... things will get better as the story progresses.  
  
Chapter 3 The Next Morning  
  
Rinoa awoke to the sound of her alarm, feeling like a vise grip was attached to her head. She turned to look at the clock at her bedside, and immediately regretted doing so. Her stomach lurched at the movement and she scrambled from the bed, making a beeline for the bathroom.  
  
After getting what she hoped was the last of the previous night's binge out of her system, she lifted her head from the toilet and stood slowly. She got her toothbrush from the mirrored medicine cabinet, scowling at her disheveled appearance as she closed it again.  
  
It was a slow and difficult process, but she got herself showered and dressed. She headed out of her dorm, sunglasses on standby, tucked in the breast pocket of her blouse in case the brightness got out of hand in the cafeteria. They weren't supposed to be worn inside, but if anyone thought they were going to pry them from her today, they were sorely mistaken.  
  
_No one fucks with a hung-over sorceress _she thought.

She heard quick footsteps approaching from behind, but before she could turn to see who it was, a high-pitched voice peirced through her brain.  
  
"Hey, Rin!" Selphie squealed as she stepped to Rinoa's side.  
  
Rinoa cringed and covered her ears, doubling over as if having taken a blow to the stomach.

"Not so loud, please!" she whispered, roughly.  
  
"Oh," Selphie whispered. "Sorry. I forgot how weak your alcohol tolerance was."  
  
"Thanks," Rinoa said softly, truly grateful for the decrease in volume. She slowly continued to the cafeteria, Selphie following.  
  
"Wow... rough morning, eh?" Selphie commented, noticing Rinoa's careful and slow movements.  
  
"Ugh... you have no idea," Rinoa groaned, haunted by memories of having her head in the toilet for twenty minutes.  
  
"I've got some idea," Selphie giggled. "You did drink probably twice as much as the rest of us. Zell had to carry you back to your dorm."  
  
Rinoa grimaced guiltily, having forgotten that part of the evening. After Squall left, she drank all of the alcohol on the table, not caring who it belonged to. Feeling a little more relaxed, as she had put it, she decided to go back to the dance floor. She'd danced with Zone, Zell, Irvine, Nida, and even Headmaster Cid until she nearly passed out, having had a glass of some alcoholic beverage in her hand at all times.  
  
Thinking about it, she vaguely remembered pestering the DJ to dance with her, and at some point she had finally given up and danced with Xu, the headmaster's female assistant, instead. It was an innocent thing, it was a quick-paced techno song, so everyone was dancing with whom ever was nearby, male or female. Rinoa personally adopted that mindset at some point throughout the night, not caring who or what she danced with, as long as it moved and as long as there was a drink in her hand.  
  
She shuddered.

"I can't believe I did that," she sighed. "I've never behaved that way. I didn't do anything... else... that was questionable, did I?"  
  
Selphie chuckled, "No, we kept you in line. Don't worry."  
  
"Good," Rinoa breathed, relieved. She wondered what happened to Squall after he left. Did he meet with that girl afterward? Did he meet with someone else? Or did he just go to the training center like he usually does that time in the evening?  
  
They reached the cafeteria and Rinoa ordered just coffee for herself before joining Quistis, Zell, Squall, and Irvine at their usual table. Selphie joined them moments later after ordering her breakfast.  
  
"Hey, it's Lush of the Year!" Zell announced as Rinoa settled into her new spot, across the table and over to the right from Squall, between Selphie and Quistis. Squall sat at the end of the table, an newly empty space to his right.  
  
Rinoa shot Zell a quick glare at his comment. "Fuck you," she hissed, leaning over her coffee, her head down.  
  
"Hey, you better be nice to me," Zell chuckled. "Otherwise, I'll drag you home by your ankles next time."  
  
Rinoa groaned and put her head down on the table next to her coffee. Squall, who hadn't said a word all morning, watched her do this and sighed, feeling responsible for her state. He stood up, and cleared his throat nervously.  
  
"I've gotta go. I have a field exam to supervise later, so I've got a lot of work," he explained, moving toward the exit. "I'll see you guys later. Hope you feel better, Rinoa."  
  
"Thanks," she mumbled, not looking up, fully aware that Squall called her Rinoa instead of Rin. He only did that when they were arguing or when something was weighing seriously on his mind.  
  
"Bye Squall," everyone else said.  
  
He walked out and headed for his office.

* * *

Squall stepped into the elevator and leaned against the wall, his eyes struggling to stay open. He lazily pushed the button for the floor of his office.  
  
He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. After the disaster at the party, he went out, heading for a liquor store in Balamb. He had wanted to drink, but didn't didn't want to remain at the party regardless that the booze was free. He returned to his dorm shortly after with a pint of Southern Comfort. He didn't particularly care for the stuff, but he knew it would do the trick.  
  
He had sat on the floor, leaning against the side of his bed, thinking of Rinoa.  
  
The thoughts had begun with memories of the time they met, through the battle with Ultimecia, through various memories of their relationship. The memories of their lovemaking had surfaced soon after, only to be followed by memories of that very evening, and the seductive way Rinoa had danced with Zone and the other man.  
  
Before he knew it, the bottle of SoCo was gone, and he was clutching it tightly in his fist, his knuckles white. He had then decided it was a good time try to get some sleep, only to fail miserably, haunted by thoughts of Rinoa sleeping with other men all night.  
  
The ding of the elevator arriving at his office floor brought him back to the present. He pushed himself off of the wall and stepped out, shuffling his feet lazily to his office door.  
  
He sat at his desk for an hour, finishing what pending paperwork he had to do, then he finally stepped out, heading for his meeting in the headmaster's office about the field exam today.  
  
He groaned inwardly at the idea of having to supervise a field exam in his exhausted and hung-over condition. He walked into Cid's office, giving little notice to the group of cadets waiting eagerly for their field exam, and went straight for Cid's desk.  
  
"Alright, sir," Squall began, "have the cadets been briefed?"  
  
"Uh, yyyyyes," Cid drawled out, stunned by the commander's straight-fowardness. "They are ready to leave as soon as you are."  
  
"Good. Xu, can you please escort the-" he paused, finally seeing the cadets. The blonde he had danced with was there, her gaze fixed on him. She had a slight smirk as he looked at her.  
  
"Squall?" Xu spoke softly.  
  
"Yes. Um, please escort the... cadets... to the van. I will be there shortly."  
  
Xu nodded and saluted the headmaster, then turned and gestured for the cadets to follow her as she walked out of the office. They followed obediantly, the blonde's gaze lingering on Squall a moment longer as she turned to follow.  
  
Squall cleared his throat as the door shut behind them.  
  
"You alright, Squall?" Cid asked, noticing the dark circles around Squall's icy gray eyes.  
  
"Fine, sir," he replied quickly, wanting to avoid the subject of last night's events.  
  
"Well, here's the file," Cid sighed, seeing no purpose in pressing Squall further. The man was like talking to a mule. He handed him the file on the SeeD candidates for the exam. "Good luck, Commander."  
  
"Thank you, sir," Squall said, taking the file. He saluted the headmaster, then turned and left. I shouldn't even be here today.  
  
A/N: The next chapter will be a little more interesting. I promise. I just needed to set a little more "mood", if you will. Now we can go on to the events of the field exam with the blonde. 


	4. The Field Exam

A/N: Alright... the action should start here... at some point. I've got a lot of great ideas now, and I just know this is gonna turn into a super- long epic novel. By the way, I forgot to put up a disclaimer, although I think it's virtually pointless. But, here it is... I don't own anything in this story. It all belongs to Square. sob  
  
Special thanks to DBH once again... I appreciate your apparent devotion to reading each chapter. It makes me happy. :)  
  
Also, to TrinForever.... thanks for the comment! I'm on a roll here... don't worry, I can't stop writing it!  
  
Chapter 4 - The Field Exam  
  
"We've got a bit of a problem," Xu said, closing her cell phone as Squall walked into the parking lot.  
  
Squall stopped and looked around. "Where's... the van?"  
  
"Exactly," she hissed, tapping her foot. "The headmaster, whom I just spoke with, has realized that he booked the van for a junior cadet field trip to Dollet today."  
  
Squall sighed, cursing silently to himself. "Alright, so we take two smaller vehicles. Who's the field medic in this Squad?"  
  
The blonde girl stepped forward. "I am, Commander."  
  
Squall sucked in a breath, trying not be obvious in his discomfort with this. "Ok, you ride with me, as I assume Xu will be needing to fill in the regular candidates with any last minute details. I will gladly brief you and fill you in, with whatever you need, in my car."

He tried not to grimace as he realized just how laced with innuendo that last sentence was.  
  
Xu nodded, oblivious to the flustered look on Squall's face, and escorted the other cadets to her small sedan nearby.  
  
Squall pointed out his Jeep to the grinning blonde as he began to walk briskly toward the black Jeep's driver's side. She jogged to catch up and eased into the passenger seat.  
  
They rode in silence for five minutes before Squall broke the silence by clearing his throat... a nervous habit he seemed to have developed lately.  
  
"Well, I suppose I should ask if you have any questions on-" he cut himself off. "What's your name, anyway?"  
  
"Evelyn L. Samuel, sir," she replied, smoothly. "However, I prefer Eve. And no, I don't have any questions on my mission or duties. Xu and Doctor Kadowaki were quite thorough."  
  
"Oh... good."  
  
"Sir, may I speak freely for a moment?"  
  
He glanced at her, shifting the Jeep into overdrive hard as they entered a highway. "You may."  
  
"I want to apologize for yesterday," she said. "I realize that you had just broken up with your long-time girlfriend, and I feel just wretched about coming on so strongly. I had not even been aware that she was standing there, and even so, I should not have behaved that way, anyway.  
"Although I'm aware that it is a terrible excuse, I was under the influence of a fair amount of alcohol. For this behavior, I am truly sorry. I hope that this doesn't make things awkward between us, seeing as how we will probably have to work with each other frequently in the near future. Please accept my apology."  
  
Squall was perplexed for a moment. He wasn't expecting this, and for several reasons.

First, he hadn't thought she'd actually apologize for the previous evening, as she'd been so bold and uninhibited about it. But then, she had said that she'd been drinking.  
  
Second, it usually bothered him when people he didn't know spoke about his personal life, especially his relationship with Rinoa. However, he wasn't as disturbed by this as he usually was, surprisingly enough.  
  
Third, he was taken by surprise at the confident, smooth, and articulate way in which she spoke. He hadn't noticed it before, as she hadn't said more than a few words each time she spoke to him before. She had a silky and confident voice, though not quite as deep and rich as Rinoa's. It was melodious, regardless.

He loved voices like that. He found them soothing.  
  
He suddenly realized he hadn't said anything for several moments. He glanced at her, clearing his throat once again. She was waiting patiently for an answer, her eyes settled on him, unwavering.  
  
"Accepted," he finally mustered, not sure if he felt eminently unsettled by her, or incredibly comfortable. It certainly was a strange disposition.  
  
Eve let out a breath and smiled warmly. "Thank you."  
  
Squall nodded lightly, his eyes darting to her once again, clutching the stickshift tightly.  
  
_A strange disposition, indeed_.

* * *

The mission in the field exam was a relatively easy one. There had been trouble around the outskirts of Deling City, near the Tomb of the Unknown King. Apparently, a group of soldiers had set up camp nearby, blocking off all entry to the Tomb, and were digging inside.  
  
According to one of General Caraway's personal guards from Deling, he was able to get far enough up to the Tomb to see that they had torn up the ground and there were large chunks torn out of the walls, before running back before he was spotted by the anonymous soldiers. He reported there to be about one hundred of them.  
  
The request for SeeD's assistance had come from a tiny village nearby, after Caraway had said he couldn't help them anymore than he had. He had sent a team of his soldiers there, but they had disappeared almost as soon as they had arrived. The general had not been feeling very generous with his men after that.  
  
Obviously, the SeeDs' job was to diffuse the problem, preventing further damage to the Tomb, and to eliminate the threat by dispatching of these soldiers, if necessary. Six different squads from Garden had been sent, consisting of 6-7 people each, including instructors and SeeDs.  
  
Squall and Xu's squad, Squad A, arrived precisely on schedule, the other Squads having been brought in earlier to observe the threat before infiltrating. Squall's team was to be the first wave of offense.  
  
"Everyone," Xu began, speaking to the squad as they approached the other waiting teams, "you will take your positions in four minutes. You have been briefed about your purposes as a group, and as individuals. We can offer you no more advice, other than be careful and good luck."  
  
The cadets nodded, some shifting nervously. They waited for their signal to run and take their assigned positions.  
  
Squall stood slightly behind the group, observing every detail he could about the surroundings, as well as his students and fellow SeeDs. The entire group of students and instructors were hidden behind a large boulder, and Squall stood close to the edge, taking discreet peeks at the soldiers' camp in the distance, about 500 yards away.  
  
He glanced at his watch, watching the last few seconds before the infiltration tick by.  
  
"Go," he commanded firmly as the second hand approached the assigned time.  
  
The first squad ran in, stealthily, with the exception of the only field medic in the exam. Eve stayed low, watching the squad intently from her assigned position for when she might be needed. She advanced further toward the camp every minute or so, taking cover behind trees and large rocks in the area, her blue eyes never leaving the scene before her.  
  
Squall watched her, closely. She was very stealthy and graceful. She moved easily and almost soundlessly from place to place, never stumbling, her eyes glued to the advancing squad in front of her.  
  
Once the first squad was in position, the rest were dispatched, running in to begin attack.  
  
The battle ensued.  
  
Within minutes, half of the anonymous soldiers were down, with only a few of the cadets injured. Squall advanced quickly with the other SeeDs and instructors following. He watched all of the action happening, seeing every movement made, waiting for when he might be needed.  
  
He saw Eve tending quickly to a wounded cadet, her precision and speed in wrapping the boy's hurt leg unmatched by any field medic he'd ever seen.

_She's good _he thought, surprised.  
  
He glanced away to the other events, then returned his eyes to Eve, seeing a black-clad soldier approaching her quietly from behind. He was about to run forward to help her when he saw her quickly spin around from her low postion, delivering a swift and tremendous kick to his knees in the process. The soldier was caught off guard and crumpled to the ground.  
  
As the soldier appeared to be reaching for a weapon on his belt, Eve smoothly wrapped her arms around his neck, taking him in a virtually unbreakable bar choke. The man passed out within seconds. Squall watched in amazement, having never seen a student with such efficiency in hand to hand combat.

_She's DAMN good_.  
  
Eve turned back to the student she had been tending and quickly finished her task of treating the boy, wondering if anyone saw that brief brawl. Of course they did. It's an exam and I'm the only medic student here She groaned and stood, running for the next wounded cadet.  
  
The battle was over in no time, leaving only a few of their cadets injured. Eve had been quick to heal and treat everyone from broken bones, to deep gashes, to simple scratches. Needless to say, all of the instructors were beyond impressed by her performance and composure on the field.

* * *

The ride back in Squall's Jeep was silent. He had no idea what to say to the obviously talented woman beside him. It was almost... weird. He had never seen anything like it before and he wasn't sure how to react. Who the hell taught this girl? He sighed, desperately wishing for the comfort that Rinoa had always brought him when she was around. She was good at this kind of stuff.  
  
He finally thought of something to say.  
  
"You did a, uh... real good job out there," he stammered.

_Clever, dickweed _he thought to himself, cringing.  
  
"Thank you," she replied softly, sweeping a hand through her cropped blonde hair.  
  
"I, uh... saw that bar choke you did on that soldier," he continued. "Where did you learn that? I've been trying to teach Rin that for like three months."  
  
"Well, I just had a really great instructor back at my old garden. She was known for her precision, especially in chokes. Anyone could learn from her, really."  
  
"Are you saying I'm a bad teacher?"  
  
"No! Not at all! I've seen you teach, you are very good," she quickly said, only to realize by the smirk on his lips that he was joking.  
  
She chuckled at herself, then resumed her earlier occupation of looking out the window.  
  
He glanced at her quickly, then swallowed hard, not knowing what else to say, and wishing Rinoa were there to diffuse the tension. He let out a breath, not wanting to think about her and the events of the party. He could only imagine what she was thinking of him right now, praying his thoughts were wrong.

* * *

Rinoa grunted loudly, frustrated.  
  
"What's wrong, hun?" Quistis asked looking up from the desk in her dorm, startled by the sudden noise from her best friend.  
  
"My stomach still hurts, my throat is burning, my mouth is dry," Rinoa whined, flopping backwards onto Quistis' bed. "Not to mention the fact that I still couldn't get that damn bar choke in self-defense class that I've been trying to learn for like eighty-four years again today. And to top it all off, Squall's on a field mission right now, and I'm worried about him."  
  
"Well, I can't help much with the effects of the hangover, other than give you some water, and I know very little about bar chokes, but I can assure you that Squall is fine. He's a big boy."  
  
"I know, I know. I just would hate it if anything happened to him... But I'm being silly. Anyway, have you heard from Seifer lately?"  
  
"Yeah," Quistis sighed. "He called this morning before breakfast. He's still in the middle of his mission. He says he's getting frustrated because all of the leads he's gotten are not going anywhere, and he's thinking of coming home early. I wish I could help him, but the mission is top-secret. I don't even know what the hell he's looking for."  
  
"I'm sure something'll turn up. He's good at this detective shit."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Rinoa was silent for a moment, her thoughts returning to the party last night.  
  
"Hey, Quis?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Who was that girl Squall was dancing with?"  
  
Quistis chuckled, amused by her friend's obvious jealousy. "Her name's Eve. She's in one of my classes. She's pretty good at magic, I'll tell ya."  
  
"Why haven't I seen her before?" Rinoa asked, sitting back up.  
  
"She transferred from another garden only a couple of weeks ago. You know, she probably just didn't know about you guys. I wouldn't get too upset over her. She actually seems really nice."  
  
"Honestly, I'm not all that worried about it anymore. I thought about it all day, and realized that I have to get out of girlfriend-mode. Besides, I have more faith in Squall than that. I doubt he'd move on THAT quickly."  
  
"See? You know it, and I know it, and there's nothing more to worry about. Besides, Squall's getting easier and easier to read... I can tell he's still pretty raw from this whole thing. He's missing you bad... I mean, he called you Rinoa at breakfast, for cryin' out loud."  
  
Rinoa smiled. "Yeah. I noticed."  
  
"So you know that he's probably feeling immensely guilty for all that stuff last night. I mean, he didn't even kiss her back. And then freaked out and left... leaving her on the dancefloor!"  
  
Rinoa smiled wider. "You're right as always. Anyway, I'm finally getting hungry. Go have dinner with me?"  
  
"Sure," Quistis smiled, rising from her chair. "Let me get ready real quick and we'll go in a sec."  
  
"'Kay. Hey, do you mind if I invite Zone? I'm sure Zell's been driving him crazy since last night. That's probably why he was in the library all day long."  
  
"Go ahead. How long's he staying, anyway?"  
  
"I guess for a couple of weeks. He's probably really glad to be around people he knows, ever since Watts..."  
  
Quistis nodded, sadly, understanding.  
  
Rinoa's other partner-in-crime, Watts, had gone down the wrong alley on the wrong night almost a year ago, and it had cost him his life. Rinoa had been devastated, but Zone had been an absolute wreck for a good three months or so, Watts being his oldest friend. Rinoa hadn't seen Zone since the funeral until the night before. He'd apparently gotten better, but Rinoa could easily detect the lonliness he still suffered. Rinoa was the only other real friend he had.  
  
Rinoa, however, was determined to change that. She would do her best to get her friends to accept him as one of their own, as she had, hoping that maybe he'd decide to stick around the area, instead of returning to Timber.  
  
Determined, she headed to Zell's dorm, where Zone was staying during his visit.  
  
And they all went out.

* * *

A/N: Yes, my wonderful readers, this IS a squinoa... just to assure you. And I promise, things will be getting much more interesting... I've got a whole huge suspenseful plot brewing, and there will be lots more action. (And more sappy stuff for those die-hard Squinoa fans. No offense... I'm one, too.) 


	5. The Results

A/N: Just for those Squinoa fans out there, I will be putting some more interaction between those two in this chapter, but no promises for heavy sap just yet evil grin. And hey, maybe Eve's not such a #&% after all, eh? Well, just keep reading. The disclaimer still applies, yadda, yadda, yadda...  
  
I will put my thanks to the reviewers at the bottom this time.  
  
Chapter 5 - The Results  
  
Rinoa awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of light tapping on her door. She glanced at the clock, which mocked her with its angry red display of 2:13 a.m. She grumbled and rolled out of bed, her feet shuffling on the floor as she headed for her door.  
  
She raised an eyebrow at the person she saw at the other side. "Come for a midnight snack?" she said, dryly.  
  
Squall chuckled, knowing exactly what she meant by that, "No... I just wanted to talk to you for a minute."  
  
"And this couldn't wait until daylight?"  
  
"Let me in, please?"  
  
She opened the door wider, allowing him entrance, and he stepped in to sit on the edge of her bed.  
  
"I wanted to talk to you... about the party," Squall began, shifting nervously.  
  
Rinoa plopped herself down on the floor and leaned her back against the wall. "Squall... look, it's really not a big deal, I mean-"  
  
"Wait. Let me say this... please," he interrupted.  
  
She closed her mouth and sat silently, waiting for him to speak.  
  
"I feel like an asshole for what happened. And yes, I know that you're going to say that it's not your concern anymore, but I know that I... would... be bothered... if I saw the same thing happen... with you."  
  
Rinoa gazed at him, intently, seeing his discomfort and she smiled in spite of herself. "I know you would. I saw the looks you were givin' me and Zone."  
  
He gritted his teeth and nodded in defeat, smiling sheepishly.  
  
"I really do still love you, Rin... and I know you still love me," he continued, looking at the floor. "But I know things haven't been working out. I'm not asking that we get back together, because I would feel terrible if things couldn't be different than before... and right now things can't be different. So, I still think this separation is a good idea. But I wanted you to know that the girl I danced with, who apologized, by the way, took me completely by surprise and I never would have done that otherwise... and I think you already know that."  
  
Rinoa nodded, her eyes unwavering on him. "I do know that. I was... a little upset at first, but then I realized... One, that you wouldn't purposely do such a thing... And two, that I don't like hangovers, so I really shouldn't get upset anymore. It's no big deal, really."  
  
"You got THAT drunk?" he asked, mildly concerned.  
  
"Piss drunk. Shitfaced, even."  
  
"Are you ok? Did you get sick?"  
  
"I'm alright, sweetie... don't worry about me. You are forgiven," she smiled warmly.  
  
"Thanks, Rin," he sighed, relieved.  
  
"Will you leave so I can sleep now?"  
  
He chuckled and nodded, rising from the bed and opening the door. "Goodnight, then."  
  
"Hey, Squall?" she said as she stood, facing him. "Thanks. For being you. You really are a wonderful man."  
  
He raised an eyebrow at her comment, and she replied by wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.  
  
The contact took him by surprise, and for a moment was completely lost in the touch and smell of her. He closed his eyes and squeezed her back.  
  
She began to pull away, but stayed close, looking up into his soulful eyes. She smiled and planted a small kiss on his lips. He smiled at this, and shook his head.  
  
She smiled back and pushed him out her door.

* * *

"If I call your name, please step forward," Xu commanded to the large group of eager cadets in front of her.  
  
Squall stood nearby, leaning against a wall in Cid's office, waiting for Xu to finish with the list of the new SeeDs. He desperately wanted to get back to his office where he could catch a few minutes of much needed sleep on the couch.  
  
"Evelyn Samuel," Xu called out.  
  
The name caught Squall's attention and he looked around to see the girl who's name was called. She stepped forward calmly, and bowed her head graciously as Xu handed her a certificate. She then stepped aside to join the newest group of SeeDs.  
  
After the announcements were done, Squall made his way to where Eve was. She glanced up to the sound of someone approaching and smiled as Squall reached her.  
  
"Hey, Commander," she said, holding up her certificate. "Guess I'm not that bad after all."  
  
"Did you have any doubt?" he asked, shaking his head. "We don't see efficiency like yours in most of our veteran SeeDs."  
  
She let out a breath and looked sheepish. "Well... like I said, I had a fantastic instructor."  
  
Squall nodded. "Well, congratulations."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
They stood looking at each other for a long moment before Squall spoke up again.  
  
"Well, I should be going... I'll see you later, I'm sure."  
  
Eve nodded and smiled, turning to walk out of Cid's office.  
  
Squall grimaced I hope that didn't sound like as much of a come-on as I think.  
  
He rolled his eyes and headed for his office.

* * *

Quistis reared her head up from where she'd fallen asleep on her desk at the sound of a phone ringing.  
  
"Hello?" she answered frantically.  
  
"Hey, babe. You alright?" a smooth voice said from the other end.  
  
"Seifer... yeah, I'm fine... I just... fell asleep at my desk again," Quistis sighed, rubbing her eyes.  
  
"You know, I actually heard that sleeping in beds is common practice these days..." Seifer chuckled.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Quistis snarled. "So, have you decided to come back yet, or not?"  
  
"Well, believe it or not, I got my first decent lead here last night, so I'll be staying for a little while longer."  
  
"Oh, ok," she said, obviously disappointed. "You can't even tell me where you're at?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Quistis... I can't. Don't worry, babe, I'll have this thing figured out in no time. I'll be back before you know it."  
  
"I know. I miss you. Be careful out there, ok?"  
  
"I will. I gotta go... I love you."  
  
"Love you, too."  
  
She heard the phone click off from the other end, and she replaced the receiver to its cradle, sighing.

* * *

"So that about leads us up to date," Rinoa said, walking slowly through the quad with Zone.  
  
"So, there wasn't a fight or any drama of any kind?" he asked, astonished.  
  
"Nope, it was just an agreement. We just weren't happy. So... we're doing the friend thing for a little while."  
  
"Are you ok with that? I mean... are you... lonely?"  
  
"Well, sure I'm a little lonely. We did live together for nearly two years. But, it's ok. It's nothing I can't handle," Rinoa explained, waving as Selphie and Irvine walked by. "Besides, Squall and I will never completely drift apart... there's this certain... attachment that we have. We're like best friends... and it's great. That will never change. Whether we get back together or not, we will always have that."  
  
"Wow. So, you guys will probably get back together?" Zone asked quietly.  
  
"Well, I don't know... but, probably at some point, yes. But enough of that. Did you have fun at dinner last night?"  
  
"Yeah, actually... I haven't had that much fun in a long time. Your friends are really great."  
  
Rinoa beamed. "I know, they really are. I was so lucky to find them. They like you, too, you know."  
  
"Really?" Zone asked, genuinely surprised.  
  
"Sure! They all had a great time. You're really funny when you're in a good mood."  
  
Zone blushed. "Thanks..."  
  
"Hey, you want me to teach you some self-defense?" Rinoa asked, suddenly.  
  
"You mean like... martial arts?"  
  
"Yeah. Squall and Zell have been teaching me for the past two years, and it's a lot of fun. I've gotten pretty good. So whatchya say? Can I kick your ass for a while?"  
  
Zone laughed. "You can kick my ass any time you want." He blushed again at his own words.  
  
Rinoa smiled and led him to a grassy area in the quad. _Ha! You won't feel that way once I get through with you_.

* * *

Squall sat up from his office couch after having a short nap and finally stood and went to his desk. Movement out the window to his right caught his attention and he looked over. What he saw made him laugh.  
  
Rinoa was demonstrating a hip toss on Zone in the middle of the quad, the poor man being thrown to the ground like a rag doll. There was no doubt that Rinoa had learned exceedingly well in the martial arts and could certainly hold her own if ever faced with a physical threat. This thought had made Squall breathe a little easier since she'd decided to stay at Garden two years ago.  
  
She was quick, quicker than Squall could ever hope to be, and she moved fluidly. Her strikes were powerful, but weren't quite as devastating as Squall's or Zell's. But she had that speed factor above both of them. She dodged attacks easily, throwing her opponents off balance for just a short moment. But it was all the time she needed to deliver a powerful blow to their ribs or groin.  
  
Squall had always teased her about "cheating" because of her abilities in sorcery, but she always insisted that she'd never used such a thing when sparring. And he believed her.  
  
She was a divine creature in his eyes. And probably in the eyes of most other men in the garden. He missed her... and as much as he hated to admit it, it was at night when he missed her the most. He didn't know if it was the sex he missed most then, or just simply having her next to him, offering him comfort whenever he needed it. He knew it was the latter that he missed more, honestly... but now the former was starting to get to him as well.  
  
The kiss she had given him last night had driven him crazy, thus verifying just how lonely he was getting. It took him three hours to get to sleep after that, only to have his alarm screaming at him to get his lazy ass up an hour later.  
  
He shook himself out of his reverie, watching the one-sided battle in the quad once again. Rinoa was now trying the bar choke on Zone. It was almost perfect, but she hadn't quite nailed it. Not like Eve...  
  
He was still quite fascinated by the ease in which the medic had delivered the move to the soldier the day before. He thought briefly about having her teach Rinoa how to do it, but quickly disregarded the thought. Yeah, Rin would LOVE that.  
  
He shook his head, then realized the phone was ringing and probably had been for a while.  
  
"Commander Leonhart," he stated into the receiver.  
  
"Hey, puberty boy," the other end said, lightheartedly.  
  
"Seifer... you got any news?" Squall asked, knowing his friend meant the name as a joke.  
  
"Oh yeah... I've got news."

* * *

A/N: Well, this chapter didn't come out quite the way I wanted it to, but I guess I got the idea I was going for across. Next chapter we will be learning more about Seifer's mission. These last chapters have been pouring out very quickly, so please check back frequently to see when I've written a new one. (I only work on the weekends, so I'll be working on this story every minute of the week, practically. I'm such an addict.)  
  
Important Note: I really do need to bring this up to an R rating, so please remember to look for it there after this.  
  
Thanks again to DBH- Well, when you're right, you're right... but no jumping to conclusions now wink. Anyway, I appreciate your review once again and thanks for the positive comments... they inspire me to keep writing... Can I technically call you a fan now? 'Cause I desperately need one... grin  
  
To Frederikke Neergaard- blush Thank you so much for the nice comments! And no worries, it is definitely a Squinoa, although it may take some time to get there. But, there will certainly be many sporadic Squinoa moments throughout the whole thing. Keep reading!  
  
To RiNoA LeoNhEaRtiLLy- Thanks so much! I'm working hard to keep things interesting, and though it's been lagging a bit, I promise to make things more suspenseful very soon. 


	6. The News

A/N: Hey there! Now we are gonna get some backstory into the sub-plot. This chapter will revolve more around Squall than Rinoa, and will probably be a bit shorter than usual, but keep reading. Seifer's out on a mission, and he begins to discover some questionable $&# going on in the world... This chapter will be a little weird... It sounds all spacey, I know... but fear not, because I promise I'm not gettin' all freaky on ya. Needless to say, strange things are afoot at the Circle K.  
  
Chapter 6: The News  
  
"So, what's going on?" Squall asked into the receiver, after switching to a secure line.  
  
"Alright," Seifer began, "this is gonna sound really fucked up, but here's my theory... First of all, do you know much about the Shumi Tribe's history, say... fifty or sixty years ago?"  
  
"Not much, other than they lived a very violent existence around that time due to an uprising led by a rebellious Shumi... he and his followers dabbled in weaponry and insanely powerful magic, among other things. I know that the group that lives in the Shumi Village was seeking refuge from the constant battling between their own."  
  
"Well, that has bearing on what I have to say," Seifer started. "This will be long-winded, so bear with me... After receiving that distress call from the Shumi Village, I came here to learn that a few weeks prior, a group of unknown soldiers, wearing all black, stormed into the Village and attempted to tear the place apart, interrogating every Shumi they came across along the way for information."  
  
"There was a group of anonymous soldiers tearing up the Tomb of the Unknown King within the past couple weeks," Squall interjected, dazedly wondering what the connection was. "We neutralized them as a field exam just yesterday."  
  
"Really...? Well anyway, apparently the Shumis only called us because they wanted us to assist them in repairing the damage to their Village," Seifer continued," and they were very, very reluctant to give me information on exactly what these soldiers were looking for. I still haven't gotten any of them to give me direct information, but I've gathered bits and pieces... enough to have a theory."  
  
"Which is?"  
  
Seifer took a deep breath. "That rebellious group of Shumis created something. Something big. Something that this very tribe here stole and wants to keep hidden. I haven't quite figured out what, but by the way these Shumis up here are clamming up, that something just may be big enough to demolish a small planet."  
  
Seifer paused for effect, and slowly spoke again. "And these mystery soldiers want it."

* * *

Squall left his office, needing to get out and think. He walked dumbfoundedly toward the library, silently praying to find some answers. What was it they created? What can it do? Who are these people that want it so bad?  
  
The questions were endless, ripping through Squall's mind at a dizzying speed. It had only been Seifer's theory, but Squall knew Seifer wasn't dumb. He'd made stupid mistakes in the past, but he had proved himself to Squall and the garden over the last two years, working hard to make up for the inane things he'd done, and he'd never led them in the wrong direction since.  
  
Squall found his way to the library through his daze and nearly stumbled directly into the petite blonde that was sitting at a nearby table. He caught himself before he did, and opened his mouth to apologize if he'd bumped into her. He stopped himself, recognizing her.  
  
"Hello, Commander," Eve said, never once looking up at him.  
  
"Oh... Eve... sorry if I... what are you doing here?" Squall asked, catching sight of the book in front of her. He rolled his eyes at his utterly moronic question. "Nevermind."  
  
She chuckled and looked up at him, finally. Her eyes were a medium blue, shining as the light from the table lamp reflected in them. "Would you like to sit down, Commander?" she asked, smirking.  
  
"Uh... sure," he replied, their eyes fixed on each other as he sat down across from her. He finally broke the stare and glanced back down to her book. "What are you studying?"  
  
"History," she said, closing the book and putting it in the bookbag to her side.  
  
"You know, I'm curious... why did you come to Balamb Garden? Not that I mind, but I read in your file that you'd been with Galbadia Garden for eight years, then Trabia for seven. Why the change?"  
  
"Well, I'd heard that field medics were desperately needed here, so it was as simple as that. I wanted to use what I'd been learning for so many years and there just wasn't much of a need for me in Trabia after the reconstruction of the garden."  
  
He didn't speak again and the silence lasted for several moments.  
  
"So... what kind do you do?" he finally asked.  
  
"Sir?" she said, confused.  
  
"History," he quickly said, mortified at how that came out. "Any particular kind you study?"  
  
"Nah, I'm just studying general stuff," she sighed. "So, what brings you in here?"  
  
"Actually, I was interested in looking into some history, myself," he replied, still embarassed by his behavior. He never acted like this. He was always calm and collected. Why was he failing now?  
  
"Oh, really?"  
  
"Yeah..." he began, but hesitated, wanting to get out of this situation, "...but now that I think about it... I've really got some other things to tend to right now. I really must be going."  
  
"So soon?" she asked, amused by his strange behavior.  
  
"Yeah," he said, standing once again. "I'll see you around, Eve."  
  
"Take it easy, Commander," she said, reaching for her book again as he began to walk away.  
  
"Eve..." he said, stopping before he got to the exit. "You can call me Squall when we're not on duty."  
  
She smiled as he walked out.

* * *

Quistis walked slowly down the hallway to the cafeteria, feeling mildly fatigued. No matter how much sleep she got, she'd been feeling like this incessantly since Seifer's departure three weeks before. The separation seemed to be killing her.  
  
She glanced at her watch and cursed when she realized she was over ten minutes late meeting Selphie and Irvine. She quickened her pace, sighing at her lack of interest in seeing the fish Selphie had caught in the quad's new fishing pond. But Selphie had been so excited about it and Quistis had promised to be there.  
  
She reached the entrance, spotting Selphie, Irvine, Rinoa, and Zone at their usual table. She slowed her pace, feeling more exhausted now and began her way to the table.  
  
As soon as Selphie spotted Quistis, she jumped up and down excitedly.  
  
"Quisty, look!" she exclaimed, as she lifted her prize for Quistis to see.  
  
As soon as Quistis laid her eyes on the large salmon, her stomach lurched violently. She covered her mouth and sprinted to the ladies room.  
  
"Quis?" Rinoa gasped, instantly concerened. She got up and followed Quistis. Upon opening the door to the restroom, she recognized the unmistakable sound of retching as she approached the only stall with a closed door.  
  
"Quistis, are you alright?" Rinoa asked, worriedly.  
  
"Yeah..." Quistis panted. "I just... got sick."  
  
"I know what that's like," Rinoa mumbled, shuddering at the memory of her recent hangover. "Can I get you anything?"  
  
"No... I just... I'll be alright."  
  
Rinoa was silent for a moment.  
  
"Quis, honey, have you been feeling like this long?" she asked quietly. "I mean people don't usually get sick just at the sight of a fish..."  
  
"No... I've just been really fatigued lately, but-" Quistis stopped suddenly, realizing what Rinoa was implying. "Oh, shit."  
  
"Yeah... um... I have a... you know..." Rinoa stammered. "Oh damn, I left it in my box in Squall's closet. I knew I forgot something. Um... go get some rest in your dorm and I'll meet you back there a little later, ok?"  
  
Quistis heard the door open before she could reply as another set of footsteps walked in.  
  
"Quisty, are you ok?" Selphie asked in a small voice.  
  
"Yeah, other than I might be-" she stopped as she heard the door open again, hearing a group of girls walk in, talking quietly to each other. She stood, feeling a little better and opened the stall's door.  
  
Rinoa smiled at her and whispered something to Selphie.  
  
"Oh!" Selphie gasped. She reached out to support Quistis "Here, honey, let me walk you back to your room."  
  
Quistis smiled weakly and nodded.  
  
"I'll meet you there this evening. Go rest," Rinoa said, walking out the door.  
  
When Squall finally returned to his office after taking a long walk around the outside of the garden, he was surprised to find the door slightly ajar. He slowly pushed the door open wider with a poke of his finger and looked toward his desk.  
  
He saw nothing out of the ordinary except that his chair was turned around, offering him the view of its back, and a familiar pair of well- toned and magnificently feminine legs clad in mid-calf combat boots resting on the small table behind his desk.  
  
He smiled at the sight. "Rin, what are you doing in my chair?"  
  
She brought her legs back to the floor and spun the chair around to face him. "Well, I needed to talk to you, but you weren't here... and you know how I love this chair," she said seductively, sweeping her long dark hair into a messy ponytail.  
  
He swallowed hard, knowing she hadn't meant that she loved SITTING on the chair. Memories of the chair's history with them came flooding back, and he shook his head, as if trying to rid it of such thoughts.  
  
She laughed suddenly. "Take it easy there, tiger... just trying to make you uncomfortable."  
  
He chuckled. "Well, it worked." He sat down on one of the smaller chairs in front of his desk. "So, what did you need to talk to me about?"  
  
"Oh, I realized that I left some of my stuff in your closet and I wanted to ask permission to go in there and get it."  
  
"You come into my office when I'm not here, sit on my chair even, and then ask me permission to go in my room?" he asked, amused.  
  
"You left the door unlocked," she shrugged, looking sheepish.  
  
He smiled at her. "Of course you can go get your stuff. Just get your cute little ass outta my chair."  
  
She grinned and stood as he got up and moved around his desk to his chair. He playfully smacked her behind as she slipped passed his front.  
  
She yelped and began to laugh. "Hey, now..."  
  
He gave her his flashiest grin and she stuck her tongue out at him. That was one of the few things that had remained childish about her... but he wouldn't have it any other way. She wouldn't be Rinoa without those few quirks.  
  
She left his office, and his thoughts immediately turned to the events that occured last time he was there today. Seifer's theory.  
  
Squall sighed, not knowing what to do next. They had nothing concrete to go on, and he was certainly hesitant to inform anyone else about this possible development. The only thing he could do was sit and wait for Seifer to turn something up.  
  
Or he could search for answers himself.  
  
He picked up the phone and dialed a long number into the keypad, then waited for an answer.  
  
"This is Squall Leonhart. Get me Laguna Loire," he spoke when he heard the formal greeting on the other end.  
  
There was silence for a moment, then Squall spoke again. "La-... um, Dad? I need the Ragnarok."

* * *

A/N: Since I wrote this before the last chapter was even posted, I don't know if I'll have reviewers to thank. If you reviewed chapter five, I will reply to your comment when I write chapter seven. 


	7. The Arrival

A/N: I've been writing almost non stop ever since I posted the first chapter... my average seems to be like 2-3 chapters a day. Whew! I'm not going to give any more details away from here on out, other than yes, it's still a Squinoa. Keep reading!!  
  
Chapter 7 - The Arrival  
  
"Squall, open up!" a deep, booming voice shouted, muffled by a heavy door.  
  
Squall opened one eye, glancing at the clock. 5:14 a.m.  
  
"Son of a bitch," Squall groaned, reaching for the discarded t-shirt he'd left somewhere on the floor.  
  
"Squall!" the voice rang out again.  
  
"I'm coming. Keep your damn pants on."  
  
He quickly donned the t-shirt and pulled the drawstring on his loose cotton pants tighter, fumbling toward the door.  
  
"What?" he growled, swinging the door open violently. He calmed when he saw who it was. "Oh... hi, Dad."  
  
Laguna cocked an eyebrow at him. "Such enthusiasm."  
  
Squall rolled his eyes, backing away from the door allowing Laguna to enter. "Don't bitch about it. At least I said 'hi'."  
  
"And for that I'm grateful," Laguna said, bowing mockingly to Squall, who rolled his eyes again and turned to dig through his closet for some decent clothes.  
  
"Did you come to pester me?" Squall asked.  
  
"Maybe a little," Laguna replied, looking around the room. "So, where's Rinoa at this hour?"  
  
"In her dorm, where she lives."  
  
"What did _I_ miss?"  
  
Squall sighed miserably, and pulled a shirt from his closet. "We broke up."  
  
"What happened? Damn, I liked Rinoa. She was good for you."  
  
"I know," Squall said, now digging through his dresser. "We're just taking some time apart. We're still on good terms, so don't worry... you just might still have grandchildren one day."  
  
"Who said anything about wanting grandchildren?"  
  
Squall shot him a look.  
  
"Ok, so I like the idea... a little," Laguna said.  
  
Squall shot him the same look again.  
  
"Alright, I submit. I want grandchildren," Laguna sighed, holding his hands up in surrender. "But not right away, mind you. I mean, I'm only forty-six. And I don't look a day over thirty-six."  
  
"...And you still fight like you're twenty-six," Squall mumbled, then turned to his father. "Do you know how many times I've heard this?"  
  
He stepped into the bathroom, closing the door before Laguna could say anything else. The sound of the shower running was heard seconds later, and Laguna flopped back onto the bed, determined to take a nap before the beginning of this big mystery-mission.

_I don't see how Squall stands getting up this early_.

* * *

Quistis stared blankly at the ceiling of her dorm, having been unable to get to sleep all night. Every few minutes, she would glance between the bathroom, where that life-altering piece of plastic lay on the counter next to the sink, and the clock, reminding her just how long she had before Seifer usually called her.  
  
She finally rolled over on her side, trying to force her eyes to remain closed, but to no avail. Her eyes would automatically snap back open once she tried to relax.  
  
She groaned and rolled onto her stomach, burying her face in her pillow, trying to force her eyes to stay shut that way. Then she would become uncomfortable and would turn back onto her back, only to repeat the staring process. The ceiling, the bathroom, the clock.  
  
At some point, she fell asleep only to be woken up, what she thought was only moments later, by the phone ringing. When she opened her eyes, her room was flooded in daylight. She'd slept for about three hours.  
  
It suddenly sank in that the phone was still ringing. She bolted upright, staring at it. She battled with herself for a moment about whether she should answer it or not. Finally deciding that she couldn't put it off forever, she quickly grabbed the receiver.  
  
"Seifer?" she panted.  
  
"Yeah, how'd you know?" he asked from the other end. "And why are you breathing so hard at seven a.m.?"  
  
Quistis took a deep breath. "I have something to tell you."

* * *

Squall and Laguna walked briskly to the cafeteria, hoping to get some coffee before their meeting. It was only going to be a small meeting, between themselves, Cid, and Seifer on the phone, but that didn't make it any less important and Squall wanted to be alert.  
  
They entered the cafeteria and ordered their coffee, then took a seat at their usual table, which was currently unoccupied.  
  
Moments later, Rinoa approached with Zone.  
  
"Laguna!?" she exclaimed. She ran to him as he stood smiling and gave him a tight hug.  
  
"Hey, kiddo," Laguna said, chuckling at her excitement.  
  
"What are you doing here?" she asked, sitting down.  
  
He sat back down, as well, shooting a brief glance to Squall, who sat watching Rinoa. "Well, I have some things to take care of here, nothing really."  
  
"Well, I'm so happy to see you! Did you ever meet my friend Zone?" she asked, gesturing to Zone as he sat next to her.  
  
"I think so," Laguna replied, extending his hand to Zone. "Right after the Ultimecia thing."  
  
"N-Nice to see you again, M-Mr. President," Zone stuttered, shaking Laguna's hand.  
  
"Call me Laguna. That president stuff only flies in Esthar."  
  
Zone nodded, smiling weakly, then stood. "Excuse me... I have to leave." He clutched his stomach and walked away briskly.  
  
Rinoa watched this with amusement, then turned back to the table, muttering, "Poor guy."  
  
She looked up at Squall and raised an eyebrow when she saw that he was watching her. "See something you like?"  
  
Squall's mouth cracked into a smile, keeping his eyes on her. "Maybe."  
  
She batted her eyelashes at him and smiled seductively. "Hmm... too bad."  
  
Laguna watched the exchange with interest, commenting, "Well, I can see this won't last long."  
  
"What's that?" Rinoa asked him.  
  
"You guys will be back together before you know it."  
  
Rinoa shrugged, sending another seductive glance at Squall, who just chuckled.  
  
"Well, we should be going," Squall said finally, rising from his seat. Laguna stood, as well.  
  
Squall looked at Rinoa and sighed, then took her hand and lifted it to his lips. He kissed her knuckles softly, whispering against her skin, "Good day, Miss Heartilly."  
  
He left before she could speak, Laguna trailing behind.  
  
Rinoa smiled and sighed, glancing around the cafeteria for someone she knew, as she was now alone at the table. Her eyes settled on a familiar blonde, several tables away. The girl was by herself, her blue eyes fixed on Rinoa. Squall's illustrious dancing partner.  
  
Rinoa smiled awkwardly and rose, deciding she should check on Quistis.

* * *

"So that's where I'm at now," a deep voice said through a speaker on Cid's desk. "Somewhere between screwed and brutally skull-raped. These Shumi guys won't tell me shit."  
  
"Well, Seifer, you've given us enough to work with," Cid said, looking between Laguna and Squall as he spoke. "Though I'm not sure where we should start. Any ideas, gentlemen?"  
  
Squall thought for a moment and spoke up. "The Shumi have few allies... they like me and my father, but not enough to share any kind of information THAT substantial. This is obviously an enormous weapon they have, whatever it may be, and they're not going to let just anyone know about it... but then how did these mystery soldiers discover it?"  
  
"They had to have told someone," Laguna piped in.  
  
"Exactly," Squall said.  
  
"Whatchya think, Commander Obvious?" Seifer said from the speaker.  
  
"Well... there two likely candidates I can think of," Squall began, ignoring the remark. "Norg may or may not have been one of them, but that we may never know-"  
  
"Being that he's dead and all," Seifer interrupted, dryly.  
  
"And the other," Squall continued, again ignoring his friend. "Is residing in Fisherman's Horizon."  
  
"Ah... Grease Monkey;" Seifer said. "Good thinking, puberty boy."  
  
"A little testy today, aren't we, Seifer?" Cid questioned. "Why all the smart ass remarks?"  
  
Seifer sighed. "I apologize... I got some news today and I'm a little... distressed. Nothing relative to this case, don't worry."  
  
"Is everything alright?" Cid asked.  
  
"Yeah... but listen, I must ask a favor of you."  
  
"I'll certainly help if I can, what is it?"  
  
"Just make sure Quistis isn't being over worked. And make sure she gets plenty of rest. And make sure she's eating well. And-"  
  
"Is something wrong with Quistis?" Cid interrupted.  
  
"Uh... well... shit, I'm sure you'd find out sooner or later. She's pregnant, sir."  
  
The three men in the office froze and looked at each other.  
  
"Well... we'll, uh... we'll take care of her the best we can," Cid finally said, fighting a smile.  
  
"Thanks, sir," Seifer said, releasing the breath he'd been holding.  
  
"Anyway, Squall and Laguna will be assembing a small group and will be sent to FH, shortly."  
  
"Ok, great. Keep me informed," Seifer said.  
  
"We will," Cid replied. "And Seifer?"  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"Congratulations."

* * *

"Will Irvine Kinneas, Selphie Tilmitt and Ri-... Evelyn Samuel please report to the commander's office? Irvine Kinneas, Selphie Tilmitt, and Evelyn Samuel report to the commander's office."  
  
Squall shut off the small microphone on his desk and waited patiently for the group to arrive, trying to ignore the quizzical look on his father's face.  
  
"Ri-... Evelyn Samuel?" Laguna mimicked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Don't start. I have good reason." Squall said, leaning back in his chair.  
  
"And that reason is?"  
  
"Rinoa is too well known... if I need someone to go under cover, it'll need to be someone no one's familiar with."  
  
"So, who's Evelyn Samuel?"  
  
"She a new SeeD, a field medic."  
  
"She's new and she's a field medic? This doesn't sound like someone Squall Leonhart would normally send into a mission like this," Laguna observed, unconviced of his son's reasoning.  
  
"You haven't seen her on the field," Squall defended. "She's quick and she's damn good. She's certainly not an amateur."  
  
"I'll take you word for it," Laguna sighed in defeat. "But don't you think Rinoa will be a little upset after that little slip-up?"  
  
Squall didn't have a chance to answer as the door opened and the three SeeDs entered. They stood at attention in front of his desk, waiting for their commander's orders.  
  
"You have a mission," Squall stated, handing them each a folder. "This is all the information you'll need. Be ready by this evening at 21:00 hours and assemble at the front gate. Dismissed."  
  
Eve sent a small smile to the commander as she turned to exit, but not before seeing the smirk he gave her in response.

* * *

"Quistis, are you ok in there?" Rinoa shouted from outside the bathroom door.  
  
"Yeah," Quistis breathed, raising her head from the toilet. "I'll be out in a sec."  
  
"Ok..."  
  
Quistis mustered the energy to finally stand and brush her teeth. She finished and stepped out to the bedroom, seeing Rinoa looking worriedly up at her from the edge of the bed.  
  
"So... how did he take it?" Rinoa asked.  
  
"Better than I thought, really," Quistis sighed, sitting in her desk chair. "He flipped out about me working too much and not getting enough rest, but other than that he was quite calm."  
  
Rinoa raised her eyebrows. "Well, that's good. I kinda figured he'd- "  
  
"Will Irvine Kinneas, Selphie Tilmitt and Ri-... Evelyn Samuel please report to the commander's office?" Squall's voice said through the intercom. "Irvine Kinneas, Selphie Tilmitt, and Evelyn Samuel report to the commander's office."  
  
Rinoa and Quistis exchanged quizzical glances as the intercom clicked off.  
  
"That's new," Rinoa commented. She thought for a moment and shrugged. "Whatever."

* * *

A/N: Moving along a bit slowly, I know... but I'm working on it... you know, my goal here is to make it on someone's favorites list. grin  
  
To DBH- Yay! A Fan!! Anyway... bows you catch on quickly, grasshopper bows, but I may pull a few more surprises outta my $$. Keep reading! Thanks for the compliment, by the way... I giggled like a school girl when I read that you were enjoying it so much.  
  
To yummychocolatexD- Thanks for the comment! I've been updating several times a day, so keep watching for new chapters. And like I said before in one of my other notes, it may take time to get there, but this is a Squinoa!  
  
To lendmemoni- I dig your name. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the fantastic compliments! I've been trying really hard... I keep editing each chapter little by little... I'm such a perfectionist. I don't even have spellcheck to work with... groan  
  
To Littletiny- I'm so glad to hear that you're as obsessive as I am! lol... I do update quite frequently, so keep checking! I'm really glad you're enjoying it so much... thank you! 


	8. The Mission in FH

Chapter 8 - The Mission in FH  
  
"Everyone buckle up!" Selphie shouted through the intercom from the pilot's seat of the Ragnarok. "This landing may be a little r-"  
  
The Ragnarok landed with a hard thud on the landing pad in FH.  
  
"...-rough," Selphie finished, smiling sheepishly.  
  
"Tell me again why I let you fly my ship?" Laguna asked, peeling himself off of the hard metal floor of the cockpit.  
  
"'Cause I have puppy dog eyes mastered to an art," Selphie giggled, getting out of her seat.  
  
Squall and Irvine stumbled into the cockpit, looking rather disgruntled.  
  
"Selphie..." Squall began through gritted teeth, his fists clenched. He looked to see her eyes large and pouty. The puppy dog eyes. "...ugh, nevermind."  
  
He shook his head and walked up the small aisle to the front.  
  
"Alright, listen up," Squall began in a loud voice. "We are-... Where's Eve?"  
  
"Here!" Eve yelled, rushing into the cockpit. "Sorry, Commander. That landing knocked the wind out of me."  
  
Selphie smiled sheepishly again.  
  
Squall nodded briefly, then continued. "We are going to divide into two teams. The first team, Laguna and myself, will go directly into town and interrogate the subject, while you other three will be standing watch in your assigned positions.  
"Now, the mayor here isn't very fond of us, so team two will need to stay out of sight, as I'm sure he will see you as a threat if you're all standing around out in the open fully armed. He'll know we're here if he sees the ship, obviously, but I don't want there to be any sign we're on a mission. If you're spotted, tell them the president of Esthar is going night fishing for all I care, but I really don't recommend that you get spotted."  
  
The others nodded in understanding before the commander spoke again.  
  
"It is dark outside and your vision will be limited. Be careful and keep your eyes open for anyone, and I mean ANYONE that looks even mildly suspicious, but be sure to keep tabs on where Laguna and I are at all times. You all have your earpieces and mic transmitters in place, correct?"  
  
"Yes, sir," the SeeDs replied.  
  
"Good," Squall said. "If there is any kind of foul play or questionable activity, I want you to inform me immediately. The subject we are here for may be a target for these soldiers for all we know. Be ready to leave for your positions in three minutes. Once you are in position, report to me, and it should take Laguna and myself approximately ten minutes to arrive at our destination. That is all. Go to the dock and wait for my signal to leave."  
  
"Yes, sir!" the group said. They all double checked themselves for their weapons and items, and then left to wait in the loading dock for their commander to give them their signal.  
  
"Let's hope the mystery soldiers aren't here," Squall mumbled, checking that his gunblade was securely in place.  
  
Laguna gave his son a smirk and a raised eyebrow. "Oh, come now...you know you wanna kick some ass."  
  
Squall's lips broke into an involuntary grin. "Well, when you're right, you're right, Dad."

* * *

After receiving word that his SeeDs were in position, Squall and Laguna walked the long distance from the Ragnarok to Grease Monkey's place calmly and casually, both occasionally glancing around for any sign of trouble. Or any sign of anyone.  
  
The street was desolate, with the exception of Selphie hidden in a shadowed alley between two buildings, across from Grease Monkey's door, ready to act as immediate back up should there be trouble inside.  
  
Irvine was on a nearby rooftop with his sniper rifle ready should there be an outside ambush, keeping watch over the entire street from his high vantage point.  
  
Eve was standing in shallow water up to her waist, under the left side of a nearby pier, watching the events from a distance. Here she had a view of the street entrance from one side, giving her time to warn the others if someone were to come from the main road or landing pad. She couldn't see the other end of the street, but she figured Irvine could see it clearly enough to give fair warning.  
  
"How's it going there, Eve?" she heard Squall ask in her earpiece.  
  
"Fine, sir, nothing to report," she said smoothly. She tried desperately to keep her teeth from chattering, mumbling under her breath, "The water is fucking cold, however."  
  
Squall chuckled, quietly, glancing around as he continued walking. "You'll be out of there, soon."  
  
Eve winced, not realizing he'd heard her. "Sorry, sir," she said. "I didn't think you heard that."  
  
"It's alright."  
  
There was silence on the line for several minutes, until Squall and Laguna reached their destination.  
  
Laguna opened the unlocked door, gun raised, and quietly stepped in, Squall following.  
  
"Hello?" Laguna said into the darkness of the room.  
  
Squall fumbled for a lightswitch on the nearby wall. Their eyes settled on the center of the room.  
  
"Holy shit," they said in unison.  
  
"Sir, is everything alright?" Selphie asked, alarmed from the comment.  
  
"Well..." Laguna began. "He's dead."  
  
Selphie gasped in their earpieces.  
  
"Just stay put, guys," Squall commanded, examining the long incision in Grease Monkey's throat. "We may not be alone. Keep your eyes open. We're going to take a look around in here."

* * *

Eve stood in the water, her eyes darting around the street in front of her, watching for any kind of trouble.  
  
She was about to ask Irvine if there was anything happening on the other side of the street, when she heard a small rustling from a nearby bush on the other side of the pier's entrance. She narrowed her eyes, trying to make out any figure behind it, but the pier was obscuring a large portion of her view of it. She became still and held her breath, listening for any other sound.  
  
Seconds later, she heard it again. The tiny shuffle of a rock being ground into the dirt by something heavy.  
  
A footstep.  
  
She released her breath quietly, then took another, and began to lower herself further into the water. Hope this earpiece is waterproof.  
  
Her head went under silently, her eyes open. She watched the bush through the water, as she swam the width of the pier to the other side. When she reached it, she stayed under the water, her eyes never leaving the wavering image of the bush above the surface. She waited.  
  
Then she saw what she was looking for. The figure of a human in black moved slightly from behind the thick shrubbery.  
  
Eve slowly swam back under the pier, and brought her head up to the surface silently. She wasn't sure what to do. She could dispatch the soldier easily, without alarming the others, but it was highly unlikely that he was here alone. However, if there had been a large group of them, she was sure that Irvine or Squall would have spotted at least one of them already. There weren't very many other hiding places nearby, so the group was probably small.  
  
But if she warned the others, the soldier might hear her. True, she'd spoken to them from here earlier, but that didn't guarantee he'd heard her, and she sure as hell didn't want to run the risk of him hearing her now. He might warn others before she could get to him.  
  
Making her decision, she descended into the water again. She swam back to the end of the pier, her eyes fixed on the figure behind the bush. She got closer than she had before, trying to get a look at the angle he was standing at.  
  
She waited under the water to see if he would turn his back to her. Seeing that he probably wouldn't and she would run out of breath if she waited too long, she made her move.  
  
The soldiers head was turned away from the water, looking out at the street. She rose from the water, as quietly as she could. She was two feet from him when a voice spoke in her earpiece.  
  
"Eve, what are you doing?" Irvine asked, seeing her get out of the water and walk to a bush.  
  
The sound from her earpiece was so faint, but in the dead silence of the street, the soldier heard it and turned.  
  
Eve cursed and closed the gap quickly.  
  
The soldier's eyes widened as he registered her presence. "Hey..."  
  
Eve smiled at him, then wrapped her arms quickly around his head and turned it forcefully until there was a violent snap.  
  
The soldier's body crumpled to the ground.  
  
"We've got company," she spoke quietly. "I just took a soldier out. There may be more."

* * *

Squall cursed as he heard Eve's warning.  
  
He and Laguna grabbed whatever papers and folders they'd found in the room and shoved them into a large bag.  
  
"Let's go," Squall growled.  
  
He stepped out the door, Laguna following closely behind. Selphie ran over to them as they came out, all scouring the area for anyone other than themselves.  
  
Irvine joined them moments later, followed by a sopping wet Eve.  
  
"Stay tight," Squall commanded, as they proceeded to the Ragnarok cautiously.  
  
Suddenly, they heard the sound of hard, running footsteps behind them as three soldiers emerged from inside another building.  
  
Squall and his comrades all braced themselves for battle as the soldiers approached.  
  
But the soldiers didn't seem to be slowing down. Squall caught one as he tried to run past, ripping through his stomach with his gunblade. The soldier dropped to the ground, but the other two kept running, dodging the attacks that Selphie and Irvine threw at them.  
  
The group watched in bewilderment as the soldiers ran off, never slowing down or looking back.  
  
"Why didn't they...?" Selphie began.  
  
"Fight us?" Irvine interjected.  
  
"Because," Squall answered, watching the men vanish into the distance,"they didn't come here to kill us. They were trying to leave."

* * *

"Why would those men kill Grease Monkey?" Selphie cried as she gripped the controls of the ship tighter, confused by the whole situation.  
  
"That's what we're trying to find out," Squall mumbled, distracted by his task of looking through the papers they'd collected.  
  
Laguna sat in the seat next to Squall, also flipping through the documents.  
  
Irvine sat next to Selphie in the passenger's seat, trying to piece together what was happening. Squall hadn't been very liberal with information about this whole thing. All Irvine knew was that they wanted to talk to Grease Monkey, there were some weird mystery men in all black running about, now Grease Monkey was dead, probably because of the mystery men in all black that were running about, and Squall is not very happy about any of this.

Not that Squall was ever all that happy about anything.  
  
He glanced over to his commander, observing the scowl he had on his face. _That boy really needs to get laid again_.  
  
Eve sat at the far end of the cockpit, her head resting against the back of the seat, her eyes on the ceiling. On occasion, she would glance over at Squall, then back to the ceiling. She was getting quite tired.  
  
She glanced at her watch. It was only 11:13 p.m.  
  
She sighed and looked back over to Squall.  
  
Eve was starting to like that man.  
  
She knew she shouldn't become emotionally involved, but she couldn't deny her attraction to him. It's not like she had a chance with him, anyway. She'd seen the way he acted around Rinoa that very morning. He'd kissed her hand and smiled at her in a way she'd never seen him smile at anyone else. There was no doubt in her mind that he was still deeply in love with his ex-girlfriend.  
  
Not that she wanted to change that. A relationship between herself and Squall would be impossible. Inane, even. There was just no way. Besides, she rather liked being single.  
  
At least for now.  
  
"Most of this is junk..." Laguna grumbled, suddenly. "Work orders, bills, maps, blueprints..."  
  
Squall looked up in interest. "Blueprints of what?"  
  
"Well, mostly just things he was building it looks like... but I can't tell what these are," he replied, handing a small stack of them to Squall.  
  
"These are..." Squall began as he looked through them in amazement. "These are blueprints of Gardens."  
  
Laguna and Squall looked at each other.  
  
"You do mean like flowers and gnomes and shit, right?" Laguna asked, denying what he knew was the truth.  
  
"No... I mean SeeD Gardens... each of them. Galbadia, Trabia, Balamb... even Esthar's new Garden."  
  
"What the hell...?" Laguna breathed, bewildered. "Why would...What the hell is going on here?"

* * *

A/N: I must say, I'm especially proud of this chapter. There will be more action than this later on, but I think this sets things up nicely. Sorry for the lack of Rinoa stuff, but I wanted to spend some time getting the action started. But don't worry! There will be plenty of sappy stuff later! There may even be some steamy stuff next chapter... Keep reading!  
  
To lendmemoni- Thanks again! I'm coming up with all sorts of ideas for where I can take this, so I promise to try and make it as interesting as I can.  
  
To yummychocolatexD- yeah, you know... had to make my readers squirm a little... but there will be lots more good Squinoa stuff later...  
  
To Rinoaleonheartilly (it got too difficult to remember where all the capitalizations were. hee hee)- Thank you so much!! That kind of review is what motivates me to keep writing! I'm so glad you're enjoying it!  
  
To DBH- Thank you for correcting that error... my husband gave me the same argument, but I ignored him. I changed it here, however. :-) Thanks again!  
  
Frederikke Neergaard- I'm typing as fast as I can!! ;-) 


	9. The Discovery

Chapter 9 - The Discovery  
  
Squall stumbled through the hall toward his dorm, exhausted from the long ride back from FH. He and Laguna had spent a good hour after landing, racking their brains for a possible answer to this developing mystery. He wished desperately that he had captured the soldier he'd sliced through the stomach for interrogation, but he hadn't yet realized just how big the puzzle was getting until it was too late.  
  
He hated being caught off guard and that's exactly what had happened that evening. Sure, he'd known there was the possibility that Grease Monkey would be dead before they could get to him. As much as he hated to admit it, he was a little relieved about it. He felt awful that he couldn't have saved him, but it pointed almost directly to the fact that he was responsible for the leak in information about this weapon. They didn't want him being liberal with this knowledge to anyone else. Otherwise, the Shumi in the Village would have been slain as well, but lucky for them, they were hell-bent on staying quiet.  
  
But the picture was still fuzzy. Squall couldn't figure out for the life of him why there were blueprints of the Gardens in Grease Monkey's possession. Was it totally unrelated? Or was there a connection? Why would anyone need these blueprints? Were they planted in there, or was Grease Monkey really up to no good?  
  
Squall shuddered at the feeling of helplessness. There were too many questions and too few answers. He hated feeling this way.  
  
He reached his door and fumbled for his card key, then swiped it lazily through the reader.  
  
"Hey, you," a deliciously velvety voice said from inside.  
  
Squall froze in the doorway, seeing the welcoming vision before him. "Hey..."  
  
Rinoa sat on the edge of his bed, her legs crossed under her long black skirt, revealing a sliver of her creamy thigh through the high slit on one side. Her black hair was down, draping loosely past her shoulders, contrasting with the white of her plain tank top.  
  
She smiled weakly at him for a moment, then she lowered her head, looking at the floor. "I was... worried about you."  
  
Squall smiled at this, thinking how much he'd been missing coming home to her like this every night. He stepped forward, standing just inches from her. He put his hand under her chin and pulled her face up to look at him.  
  
"I'm fine," he whispered. "Thank you."  
  
She stood, making him step back from her. She began to step around him, saying, "I guess I should go..."  
  
"Don't," Squall said suddenly, closing his eyes.  
  
He was terrified. Terrified of being left at the mercy of his endless thoughts about this new mystery. Terrified that something would happen to Garden. Terrified that something would happen to Rinoa and all of his friends.  
  
Terrified that she would walk out the door and he would be alone again.  
  
Rinoa stopped and looked at him, unsure of how to react.  
  
He opened his eyes and looked into hers. "I need you tonight," he whispered. "God, if only for tonight."  
  
Rinoa stared into his eyes for several moments. It was easy to see the fear and desperation in them, and she couldn't stand it.  
  
She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close, offering what comfort she could.  
  
"I'll stay," she whispered in his ear. "Until you fall asleep."  
  
Squall pulled back from the embrace, just far enough to see her face. He gazed into her warm brown eyes, allowing himself to get lost in them for a moment, before raising his hands to cup her face.  
  
He leaned forward and kissed her, softly. He let his lips linger on hers for a moment after, relishing the taste of her, then he pulled back again.  
  
"Okay," he sighed. "Until I fall asleep."

* * *

"And that's it?" Cid said, trying to quell his frustration. "They just... ran off?"  
  
Squall and Laguna nodded.  
  
"And no one was apprehended for questioning?"  
  
Squall and Laguna shook their heads.  
  
"Eve took out one of them to avoid the group being alerted to our presence if they weren't already aware of it," Squall explained. "She says was afraid that there may have been many more of them, and she didn't want the soldier to warn any others if he saw her. And the other soldier we took out... well, I thought he was attacking."  
  
Cid sat back in his chair, thoughtfully.  
  
"Let me look at those blueprints again," he demanded.  
  
Laguna produced a large folder and placed it on Cid's desk.  
  
"I'm trying to see if there are any marks or symbols singling out any particular area of any of these Gardens," Cid said, scrutinizing the sheets in front of him.  
  
"Are you suggesting that someone wants to steal something from these Gardens?" Laguna asked, leaning forward in his chair.  
  
"That or they want to put something in them," Cid said, looking up slowly at Squall and Laguna.  
  
The three looked at each other in silence for a moment.  
  
"If they just wanted to learn their way around they could have gotten a map from virtually anywhere," Cid continued, becoming more alarmed with each word. "They hand them out to visitors at the front gate if they ask for them. But a blueprint is going a little out of the way for that. They want to know where every little crevice is... and maybe every weak point."  
  
"Fuck!" Squall hissed, getting out of his chair, the impact of Cid's words hitting him like a freight train.  
  
Someone may be trying to destroy the Gardens.  
  
Laguna cleared his throat, trying to gain some composure, then spoke in a clear and calm voice.  
  
"Ok," he began, "Cid, you call Seifer and tell him what's going on. We won't inform anyone else of what's going on to avoid panic. Squall, assemble a team to search the entire Garden using these blueprints for anything suspicious, because there may already be something here. We don't know how long those blueprints have been floating around, or whose hands they've been in, so I doubt that if nothing has happened yet, that it will happen now. But, I'll contact every other Garden and tell them to do the same. If no one recovers anything, we'll assume that these mystery people haven't taken action yet. Are we clear?"  
  
Squall stared at his father, dumbfounded. He had never seen him act with such authority. And he was a damn president.  
  
"Yes, sir," Cid said, reaching for the phone. "I'll call Seifer right away."  
  
Squall smirked in spite of himself and saluted his father. "Yes, sir."  
  
Laguna rolled his eyes and smirked back. "Get outta here."

* * *

"I'm not feeling anything," Rinoa sighed, frustrated. "Either it's not working 'cause I'm defective, or there's just nothing here to be felt."  
  
"We'll keep trying," Squall panted. "We can't give up so soon."  
  
"Why are you breathing so hard already?"  
  
"That was hard work, you know!?"  
  
"Oh, please. You're such a lightweight. You need to get more exercise... it increases your stamina."  
  
"Hey, don't question my stamina, alright? Besides, I get plenty of exercise."  
  
"I know, I know... just giving you a hard time," Rinoa smiled at him.  
  
"Will you shut up already so we can get through this?" Squall groaned.  
  
"Sorry, didn't know it took such intense concentration," she said dryly.  
  
Squall rolled his eyes. "Just keep looking. I'm gonna go back up to the control room area and see if I missed anything."  
  
"Alright..." Rinoa said, feeling around the freezing cold walls of what used to be Norg's lair for any kind of difference in vibration. "Oh, and remember to breathe deeply when climbing those ladders... don't pant, you'll get dizzy."  
  
"Yes, mother," Squall called, already ascending a ladder on the far side of the room.  
  
Rinoa chuckled and continued to feel around, her hands never making direct contact with metal walls. There were certainly advantages to being a sorceress in these situations. If something was lost, she could usually find it within minutes.  
  
It took concentration, but she'd gotten better at it with the help of Edea. Two years ago, the ex-sorceress had taken Rinoa under her wing and was determined to help her learn control over every aspect of her powers, which Edea never had during her reign in sorcery. She wanted to protect Rinoa from having to go through anything like what they had gone through during the time of Ultimecia, while teaching her to develop her abilities. Rinoa became very good, and Edea was very proud.  
  
Rinoa smiled, thinking how much she needed to visit Edea at the orphanage again soon, when a slight change in the wall caused her hands to stop.  
  
Rinoa looked at the area of the wall, carefully. There appeared to be some sort of large panel, but there was no handle or anything that she could see to open it. But Rinoa's heightened senses told her that it could certainly be opened.  
  
"Squall!" she shouted. "I found something!"  
  
She heard hard footsteps running on the metal platform way above her, then the clanks of someone descending a ladder.  
  
She dropped her hands from the wall and turned, seeing Squall run toward her.  
  
"What did you find?" he asked, urgently.  
  
"Here," she said, pointing out the panel. "This opens up somehow."  
  
Squall examined it, carefully for several moments.  
  
"How the hell do we get it open?" he mumbled.  
  
"Allow me," Rinoa said, pushing the sleeves of her black sweater. "Stand back, please."  
  
Squall walked several feet away, grabbing a small radio from his belt. He wanted to be ready to call for the rest of his team, who were searching other areas of Garden, if they found anything inside.  
  
Rinoa raised a hand and held it in front of the panel. She closed her eyes, and with a quick flick of her wrist, the metal panel went sprawling across the floor.  
  
She opened her eyes slowly, and peered into the opening.  
  
Squall stepped to her side and looked in, as well.  
  
There was a small, empty room in front of them, no bigger than one of the Garden's standard dorms.  
  
"An empty room..." Rinoa said, quizzically.  
  
Squall got closer and finally stepped inside, looking around. The walls were bare cement, and the room was utterly and completely empty.  
  
Rinoa sighed and walked into it, as well, unprepared for the overwhelming sensation she received upon taking the first step inside.  
  
"Holy shit," Rinoa gasped.  
  
"What?" Squall asked, turning to look at her. He grew worried when he saw her wide eyes.  
  
"It's empty now," she replied. "But something BIG was here before."

* * *

"What was there?" Irvine asked into the radio. Selphie and Eve stood close by, listening intently to their conversation.  
  
"Rin doesn't know," Squall's voice said over the static. "But she says it was here, and that it carried a strong negative energy."  
  
"What the hell...?" Irvine said, looking around the quad.  
  
"She can't sense anything else nearby, so we can assume there's no immediate threat to Garden for now," Squall continued. "If there'd been a bomb or something, she's sure she would have picked up on it by now."  
  
"Alright, so what do we do now?" Irvine inquired.  
  
There was silence for several moments.  
  
"I'm not sure," Squall finally sighed. "But, we have to find out what was down here. We'll meet with Cid tonight and come up with our next plan of action. In the meantime, I'm getting the hell outta this ice box down here. I'll call for you later."  
  
"Alright," Irvine replied. He put the radio away and turned to Selphie, who was sitting on the ground of the quad alone. "Where'd Eve go?"  
  
"Oh, she had to go use the restroom," she said. "So, I guess we can stop looking?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess."  
  
"Goodie! I'm gonna go check on Quistis. She was a bit sick again this morning."  
  
Selphie ran off, leaving Irvine in the middle of the quad. He watched her go, feeling dazed. _Mystery soldiers, mystery rooms...what the hell is going on around here these days!?_

_

* * *

_A/N: I could be wrong, but I think this chapter was a bit shorter than usual. Whatever. Keep reading!  
  
To DBH- I corrected the error on the last chapter, if you didn't see it. Thanks! I also added a note to you there, too. Anyway, I'm glad you're so involved! Yeah, I like Eve, too... she's a bit of a bad- ass.  
  
To Rinoa leonheartilly- I'm honored that you feel that way. Thanks for the great comment!


	10. The Plan

Chapter 10 - The Plan  
  
"So what did the good doc say, Quisty?" Zell asked, pouring mustard over the three hotdogs in front of him.  
  
Quistis settled into her regular seat in the cafeteria, exhausted. "She says that I'm about one month along, and that I'm healthy as can be. Good thing Rinoa drank the wine I ordered at the party."  
  
Rinoa smirked. "Ha! Good thing for YOU maybe."  
  
Quistis chuckled.  
  
"So, uh... what's going on with you and Squall, Rin?" Zell inquired, keeping his eyes on his plate.  
  
"What do you mean?" she asked, look at him quizzically.  
  
"Well, uh... I saw you leaving Squall's room late last night."  
  
Rinoa rolled her eyes. "He was having a bad night and I just wanted to make sure he was okay. Nothing happened. Not like this is any of your business."  
  
Zell chuckled and bit a large chunk out of his hotdog, shrugging.  
  
"Speaking of which, I need to go to the library," Rinoa said, rising from her seat.  
  
"Who was speaking of the library?" Zell asked through a mouthful of food with a cocked eyebrow.  
  
Rinoa ignored him and walked toward the exit.  
  
Quistis sighed and propped her head up by an arm on the table, not seeing the expression of surprise on Zell's face as he looked toward the entrance. She'd been trying hard to keep from stressing out, but with Seifer gone, and the buzz flying around about some new weapon of mass destruction being saught after by a group of unknown people, it was becoming rather difficult. She needed better comforting than her friends could give her. She was grateful for their efforts, but they couldn't offer her the comfort and security that she got from Seifer.  
  
"God damnit, Seifer," she groaned to herself. "Get your ass home already, will ya?"  
  
She heard someone laugh softly behind her, but she didn't register the voice until it spoke.  
  
"You summoned me, my lady?"  
  
Not believing it, she looked at Zell, who was grinning at someone behind her. Slowly, she turned around in her seat.  
  
His handsome face smiled down at her from a few feet away, causing her to bolt from her chair and rush to him.  
  
"Woah, easy there," Seifer chuckled as Quistis collided with him. He wrapped his arms around her. "Don't want you to hurt yourself."  
  
She couldn't hold her emotions in check any longer, and she burst into tears against his shoulder. "You're never leaving again, you hear me?" she choked out.  
  
Seifer smiled, his arms still tightly around her. "Never?"  
  
"Never ever," she replied.  
  
"Come on, babe," he said, breaking away. "Let's go discuss this prison sentence in our room, shall we?"  
  
She smiled, wiping at her tears. "Good idea."  
  
Zell chuckled as he watched his two friends walk away and shook his head, returning his attention to his plate.

* * *

"Commander?" a smooth voice said from behind Squall's office door.  
  
Squall looked up from his notes that lay scattered across his desk. "Eve?"  
  
"Yes," she replied. "May I come in?"  
  
"Yeah, it's open," he said, leaning back in his chair.  
  
Eve pushed the door open slowly, then stepped inside.  
  
"Have a seat," Squall offered, gesturing to one of the chairs in front of his desk.  
  
Eve smiled graciously, and sat down. "Thank you, sir."  
  
"Please... it's Squall," he corrected her.  
  
"Squall," she said, in a low and downright delicious voice.  
  
Squall shivered involuntarily at the sound of his name escaping her lips. The simple sound conjured all sorts of inappropriate images in his mind, and he shook himself, trying quickly to dismiss such thoughts.  
  
He cleared his throat. "So, um... what can I do for you?"  
  
Eve smirked slightly, fully aware of his sudden discomfort. "Well, I had two things I wanted to discuss with you. If you don't mind..."  
  
Squall found himself blatanly staring at her mouth as she spoke, but he seemed to stop caring. He hadn't really noticed it before, but her lips were perfectly symmetrical on each side and the lower lip was slightly fuller than the top one, giving her a slight pout. It was rather sexy.  
  
"Uh, o-ok... please... speak," he stuttered, tearing his eyes from her shapely mouth.  
  
"Well, I did some research," she began, "and I have a theory. We can safely assume that this weapon, whatever it may be, was here before. So, I did some checking around in the Garden's history, and though I didn't come up with much helpful information, I did come up with this."  
  
She handed over a photocopy of a page, taken from a what looked like an architectural book on Balamb Garden.  
  
"Now," she continued, "if you look in the third paragraph there, you'll notice there's a brief note about some architectural changes that occured here within the last twelve years. This includes some changes ordered by Garden Master Norg to his underground lair. Now it doesn't actually specify that it was the lair that changed in the book, but if you were to read the rest of the book, you'd learn that no other changes were made to this Garden that were ordered by Norg. Headmaster Cid made all of the desicions about the above-ground levels...."  
  
"So we can therefore assume that something was done below ground," Squall finished.  
  
"Right!" Eve exclaimed. "So, if you look at the original blueprints and diagrams of the Garden, including the blueprints that were in Grease Monkey's possession, you'll see that the underground lair is a tad different than the underground lair actually is. The entire section that you and Rinoa were in earlier... well, that's not an original part of the Garden."  
  
Squall looked thoughtfully at her for several moments before speaking. "Ok, so that portion, including the secret room, was built within the last twelve years. Meaning that Norg must have known about this weapon and was hiding it in the Garden."  
  
"Yes," Eve said. "But we still don't know if Norg was hiding it to keep it out of the wrong hands, or if he was keeping it for himself, or someone else, to use for villainous purposes."  
  
Squall nodded. "And we won't know that until find out who's responsible for taking the weapon... which raises another question. When and how was the weapon removed from Garden... and without anyone noticing?"  
  
Eve took a breath. "Well, I did some research on that, too. And everything points to the most plausible time being when you guys crashed into Fisherman's Horizon two years ago."  
  
"Grease Monkey," Squall said bitterly at the realization. "We've already assumed that he knew about it, and he, or possibly Norg, must have taken the opportunity to move it out without anyone noticing. There were workers all over the damn place. It could have slipped by easily."  
  
Squall got up from his chair, disgustedly, and turned to his window. "Mother fucker!" he hissed.  
  
Eve sat quietly, hesitant to speak again for fear of getting her head snapped off by the seething commander.  
  
Squall took a deep breath and turned toward her. "Sorry," he muttered to her, noticing her discomfort. He sat back down calmly.  
  
"You said there were two things you wanted to talk to me about," he stated after a while.  
  
"Well, the other can wait. It's not really appropriate right-"  
  
"Eve, please... I apologize for getting angry," he sighed remorsefully. "Please... go ahead. I'm fine now, really."  
  
"Well, I... uh... wanted to... know..." she stammered, uneasily.  
  
Squall raised his eyebrows. He'd never seen her lose composure like this. She had always been calm and level-headed. Now she seemed like an awkward teenager trying to ask someone to prom.  
  
"I wanted to know... if you'd like to..." she began again. Frustrated at her behavior, she finally sputtered, "I wanted to know if you'd like to join me for a drink sometime... maybe."  
  
Squall chuckled. _I wasn't far off._  
  
"Sure," he replied, finally. "When?"  
  
She froze. She hadn't thought about this part of it. "Uh... tomorrow night?"  
  
"If the world hasn't ended by then, I will join you for a drink tomorrow night," he answered, amused by her behavior.  
  
She smiled weakly and rose from her chair. "Ok, I'll see you at the meeting tonight."  
  
"Ok."  
  
She raced to the door and slammed it shut behind her.  
  
Squall chuckled again. _It's just a drink. What can it hurt?__

* * *

_"So, we've come to the conclusion that either Norg or Grease Monkey, and maybe both, had this thing removed from Garden at that time," Squall concluded, glancing around to the people in front of him.  
  
"Makes sense," Cid sighed. "There were tons of people running in and out, carrying large objects at all times. There was no way we would have recognized anything suspicious, especially since we weren't looking for it."  
  
"So, where do we go now?" Eve asked, leaning forward in her chair.  
  
"Well, since the only people who know about this thing are either dead silent with their information, or just plain dead..." Seifer began, reclining in the chair in front of Cid's desk, "I guess our only options are to search for this thing ourselves by narrowing down the places we know it won't be... and by trying to find these mystery men along the way. They may know something we don't. Not to mention the fact that we still need to find out who they are, who they work for, and why they want this thing."  
  
"We also need to start doing some research on what exactly this weapon is, and what it can do," Cid chimed in.  
  
"I'll assemble a research team," Squall told him.  
  
"And the rest of us will start looking for these men," Seifer said.  
  
"How do you know there aren't women?" Eve challenged.  
  
Seifer rolled his eyes. "Men AND/OR women. Sor-ry."  
  
"Whatever," Squall sighed. "Come on, we've got a lot of work to do for at least the next week or two."  
  
"Aye, aye, Cap'n," Seifer drawled.  
  
"That's Commander," Squall mumbled, walking out the door.

* * *

A/N: I hope you guys aren't getting bored yet... 'cause the interesting part has only just begun. And don't cry, Squinoa fans, for this is still a Squinoa!! Just be patient, all will be well in the land of FF8.  
  
To DBH- Damn, you're quick! Well, I hope this chapter summed it up a bit for ya. It's getting a bit complicated, I know... but it's fun that way, and you seem to agree. :-) Things will be resolved in time. Thanks again for your involvement in this story. Your reviews make me happy and motivated.  
  
To Rinoa Leonheartilly- Thanks for the review! Yeah, things are getting messy, but our heroes wouldn't have jobs if things didn't get a little messy from time to time. Glad you're enjoying it!  
  
To yummychocolatexD- Just you wait... Rinoa's gonna get even cooler later. Hee hee. Thanks for the comment!!  
  
Fantasy-dreamz- Thanks a bunch! I update pretty frequently... at least one chapter a day... keep watching for new ones! 


	11. The Drink Date

Chapter 11 - The Drink Date  
  
Squall stepped into the dimly lit bar in Balamb, glancing at his watch. He was precisely on time. He tugged at the collar of his dark charcoal colored shirt and looked around, scouring the bar for Eve.  
  
His eyes fell on a far table, where she sat with her back to him. He stepped a few feet further into the building, allowing him to see her profile.  
  
She wore a sleeveless black dress that fell just past her knees and fit her like second skin. Her short, pixie-ish blonde hair was styled a little messier than usual, and her face showed almost no trace of makeup, with the exception of an unnatural shine to her lips.  
  
She wasn't a typical woman in the least. No fancy clothes or jewelry, no heavy makeup, but she was breathtaking. She had an amazingly powerful and confident posture to her, making it clear to anyone, even at a glance, that she was an undoubtedly strong and capable person. A force to be reckoned with. That alone made her almost irresistable. He had known only one other woman in his lifetime that intoxicated him so strongly and he seemed to be developing a fixation for the type.  
  
He shook himself from his reverie and finally advanced toward the table where Eve sat.  
  
"Took you long enough," she said, her back still to him as he approached. "I thought you were gonna stand there all night."  
  
"How... how did you know I was there?" he asked, astonished at her awareness of him. He took a seat across from her.  
  
She smiled, finally seeing him. "Hey, I'm good at what I do."  
  
"No doubt," he chuckled, shaking his head.  
  
"What can I get you, sir?" a cocktail waitress asked as she approached them. "Right now, we have our draft domestic beer on special, and our house specialty, the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, is half price."  
  
Squall and Eve exchanged a quizzical glance at the name, to which Eve just shrugged.  
  
"Um, I'll just have a Guinness, if you don't mind," Squall said.  
  
"Right away," the waitress replied, walking away.  
  
"So, um... thanks for coming," Eve muttered softly.  
  
"Hey, it's my pleasure," Squall answered.  
  
Squall watched her, amused, as she gave him quick, nervous glances every few seconds.  
  
"Something on your mind, Eve?" Squall finally asked her, as his beer was placed in front of him. He nodded his thanks to the waitress, then looked back to Eve, waiting for his answer.  
  
"I'm being silly," Eve groaned. "I hate being silly, so I'll just come out and say it. I like you, Squall. I find you very attractive and I... like you. I just... wanted to get it out in the open."  
  
Squall's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Well... uh... thanks."  
  
Eve smirked. "That's your response?"  
  
"Alright... you're being open, so I'll be open, too," Squall said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table. "I like you, too. I really can't deny that I find you extremely attractive. Hell, I'm sure a lot of guys do. But... you have to understand that I just got out of a long relationship. It wouldn't be fair to you if I told you I wasn't still in love with my ex, 'cause I am. I mean, we didn't really break up completely, as hard as that may be to understand-"  
  
Eve held her hands up. "Stop, Squall, it's ok. Really, I know. I wasn't suggesting that we hop into bed together or anything. I just wanted to let you know before things got confusing."  
  
Squall gazed thoughtfully at her, then nodded slowly. "I appreciate your openness and honesty. I meant it when I said I like you, too. I just didn't want you to think that I was making any kind of... promise, I guess."  
  
"I know what you mean. I don't expect anything from you."  
  
"Well, then let's just relax and have a good time. Ok? As friends."  
  
Eve smiled and nodded. "Ok."  
  
"Good," Squall smiled. "So, now that we've got that out of the way... I see your glass is empty there. As an official friend, can I buy you a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster?"  
  
Eve laughed. "I'll stick to Merlot, thanks."  
  
He watched her as she laughed. The sound was sweet and genuine, not quite as throaty as Rinoa's, but it was infectious nonetheless, and he found himself smiling more.  
  
Then he noticed something about her that he hadn't before. Her eyes had an almost eerie blue glow about them, visible even in the dim lighting of the bar. It wasn't quite bright enough to be noticeable if one wasn't looking for it, but the glow was definitely there.  
  
Well, that's unusual Squall thought, fascinated by this discovery.  
  
"Is something wrong?" Eve asked, pulling him from his thoughts.  
  
"No, not at...all...." he trailed off. "Your eyes... they're very unusual. They....well... they glow. It's quite interesting. Don't get me wrong, though, I think it's beautiful."  
  
Eve smiled shyly and looked away, signaling for the waitress to bring her another glass of wine.  
  
Squall smirked at her obvious discomfort with the compliment and took a sip of his drink. He couldn't deny that this woman became more and more intriguing to him each time he saw her.

* * *

"What about this one?" Rinoa asked, holding up the newspaper to Zone. "One bedroom, sunken living room, a/c and heating, and a fireplace.... oooooh.... a fireplace...." She nudged him, winking.  
  
"I don't know," Zone sighed. He laid down on the floor of her dorm, next to where she sat leaning against her bed.  
  
"Look," Rinoa added, hopefully, "they even allow pets!"  
  
"Rinoa, I don't have any pets."  
  
"Well, what if you decide to get a pet? You've gotta plan ahead, right?"  
  
Zone let out a groan. "Well, how far is it from here?"  
  
"It's closer than all the other ones I found," she answered. "It's just inside of Balamb. I could see you every day! I could start teaching you martial arts! We could-"  
  
"No! No martail arts! I've still got bruises from your last lesson," he whined.  
  
Rinoa rolled her eyes. "Oh, suck it up, you little weasel."  
  
Zone chuckled. "Did anyone ever tell you that you turned into a major bitch since you've been here?"  
  
"All the time," she replied casually. "It's become one of my better traits."  
  
The room became silent for several moments as Rinoa continued to look for apartments.  
  
"Hey, Rin...?" Zone said quietly.  
  
"Yeah, Zone?" she mumbled, involved in her task of looking at the paper.  
  
"I know you just... broke up... with Squall, and all..." he stammered.  
  
Rinoa paused, then put down the paper and looked at him.  
  
"I was thinking..." he continued, "um... maybe we could... go out sometime. I mean... not just a friendly 'go out'... but a real 'go out'. You know?"  
  
Rinoa lowered her eyes to the floor and sighed. "Zone... I don't know... I mean, maybe in time, but right now... I just don't think I can. Please understand... it's a little too soon."  
  
Zone nodded. "I know. I apologize. I just-"  
  
"It's ok," Rinoa cut him off. "There's no need to apologize. Just give me a little time, alright?"  
  
He smiled. "Absolutely. We're still friends, right?"  
  
"Of course, you silly bastard! So, are we gonna find you an apartment or not?"  
  
Zone sighed and sat up next to her again. "Alright. You said that last one was close?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Well, if it means I can see you more, then I'll check it out."  
  
Rinoa smiled triumphantly. "Good! I win."

* * *

Laguna walked out of the Elder Shumi's house in a huff. He'd been in the Shumi Village for only half an hour and was already being dismissed for asking too many questions.  
  
Shivering in the cold, he began his walk back to the Ragnarok, hoping to make it back to Balamb Garden before it got late. He hated to return without any answers, but he'd had as much luck as Seifer had in getting any information.  
  
This was frustrating to say the least.  
  
He had Kiros and Ward back in Esthar collecting all the information they could on this weapon through Esthar's recources, but so far there had been no word back. Meaning, they couldn't find squat. It was rather unsettling.  
  
Even knowing that Squall and Cid had put all of the better researchers of the Garden, including Quistis and Xu, to work on this case, Laguna still wasn't comfortable. There didn't seem to be anything to find. Not in books, at least. There were very few people that knew about this mysterious instrument of destruction, and most of those people just wouldn't talk.  
  
Laguna could understand that the Shumi Tribe was clamming up because they feared that the knowledge would get into the wrong hands. However, they had to have been aware by now that someone was looking for this thing that very moment, and chances are they weren't planning on taking it for safekeeping.  
  
Well, Laguna was now way beyond frustrated as he thought about it.  
  
He'd tried in vain to explain to the Elder that Garden wanted to help. That they didn't want this thing to end up in the wrong hands, either.  
  
The Elder wouldn't hear it, though. The only people outside of the Village who'd known of this weapon were now dead, and at least one of them was responsible for sharing the information with these mystery soldiers. No one would ever know whether it was forced, or if it was given with malicious intent, but the Shumi Tribe would take no more chances.  
  
Scowling at the thoughts, Laguna began to walk faster, only to be stopped by a distant voice.  
  
"Sir Laguna!"  
  
Laguna spun around to see Artisan, one of the Shumi Tribe, walking toward him.  
  
"What brings you to the Village?" Artisan asked, delighted at seeing the long-haired man before him.  
  
"Artisan! How are you?" Laguna asked, smiling.  
  
"Well, thank you. Are you leaving already? Is there anything Artisan can help you with before you go?"  
  
Laguna thought for a long moment.  
  
"Artisan, you trust me, right?" he said finally, smirking.  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Well..." he began, putting his arm around the Shumi. "There may be something you can do... I may need you to help me save the world."

* * *

A/N: Well, it may be going along a bit slowly, but we're going to begin getting answers as soon as next chapter. So, please review (I'm starting to become dependent on them), and most importantly, keep reading!! I promise to make it worth your while!!  
  
To DBH- Yes! There are a lot of stories where the females (especially Rinoa) always cry at the drop of a hat and are perky and naive, and yes, many of those stories are still very good, but that detail in particular never sat well with me... so I'm trying a different approach. I don't really mean to make Squall seem dumb, but hey... it happens sometimes. What can you do? ;-)  
Anyway, I'm trying to make the hints and foreshadowing subtle, and though I may be failing miserably without knowing it, I'm glad you're paying such close attention. But.... I still may surprise you! :-) Or maybe I won't, but either way, I hope you're still enjoying the story! Thanks again!!!  
  
To yummychocolatexD- Hee hee... Eve's not that bad, is she? Well, don't worry... I don't like seeing Squall with anyone else either, so don't worry... just keep reading to see what happens! Thanks for reviewing!!  
  
To Rinoa Leonheartilly- Yeah, I'm a big fan of Squall when he's a bit of a cocky bastard, too. Hee hee. I think he's kinda charming like that, don't you? Thanks for the nice comment!!  
  
To Slartibartfast- Hope you enjoyed the obvious beverage reference to you- know-what. You're such a nerd. ;-) But hey, I'm one, too. Anyway, drop me another line! 


	12. The Departure

A/N: Sorry for the delay- I know I usually update at least once a day, but I've been a bit busy. I know, I know... "excuses, excuses," you're all saying. Well, here it is... read on.  
  
Chapter 12 - The Departure  
  
Laguna burst through the main entrance of Garden, not quite sure who he was looking for at this late hour, but dying to tell someone his newly acquired information. He ran through the Garden until he got to the dorms' hallway.  
  
He nearly crashed into two people as he turned a corner in the long hallway, but skidded to a stop just before impact. Panting with his hands resting on his knees, he looked up to see the quizzical expression on his son's face.  
  
"Hi son," Laguna breathed.  
  
"Dad, what the hell are you doing?" Squall asked.  
  
Laguna stood up straight finally, and noticed the other person with Squall. Laguna froze for a moment, trying to size up the situation, then spoke.  
  
"Uh... hello, Eve. Could you excuse us for a moment?" he said, grabbing Squall's elbow.  
  
"Sure... goodnight, Squall. Goodnight, sir," she said, opening the door to her room.  
  
"What's going on?" Squall asked, sensing the urgency in his father's actions.  
  
"Well, I just got back from-... What's going on with you and Eve? What about Rinoa?" Laguna couldn't resist asking.  
  
Squall rolled his eyes. "Nothing is going on. Eve and I are friends. Nothing more. This really is none of your business."  
  
"I know, I know. But you know how much I like Rinoa. I was just... concerned."  
  
"Well, don't be. Now, what were you going to say before you rudely pried into my private life?"  
  
Laguna released a breath and began. "I know what the weapon is. I just got back from the Shumi Village. I had a nice talk with Artisan while I was there. It took a little while to get him to relax, but he finally confided in me."  
  
Squall's eyes were wide and he quickly dragged Laguna into his dorm before letting him finish.  
  
Laguna took a seat on the edge of the bed and continued. "It's not exactly a weapon, per se. It's a source of some fan-fraggin'-tastically strong magic. See, I guess at some point in history or in some alternate universe, or some shit like that, there was a different form of magic that existed. Not like ours, it wasn't junctioned, but it was something you simply equipped on your person. Like clothing or jewelry."  
  
Squall took a seat on his floor and listened intently.  
  
"Anyway," Laguna continued, "this magic was called Materia. Somehow the group that was led by that rebellious Shumi found a way to recreate Materia, but instead of it being magic that was equivalent in power to most other magic, they found a way to concentrate it and make it extremely potent and severely destructive. But this strong Materia only exists in one place. It's fixed on a gauntlet. And basically, whoever puts this gauntlet on their arm is given what's essentially the power of a sorcerer or sorceress. Maybe stronger."  
  
Squall looked at his father with an intense gaze, as if he was deep in thought, then finally spoke up. "Well, we've beaten sorceresses before. This can't be that different, right?"  
  
"Well, that's the thing. It's a lot different. The power that this gauntlet wields can't be destroyed by physical force, and our kind of magic is significantly weaker than that kind. We'll have to think of something else. But, that's only if it gets into the wrong hands. If we find it first, then we have nothing to worry about."  
  
"Well, did Artisan tell you where this thing might be?" Squall asked.  
  
"He doesn't know. What he does know is that Norg originally stole the gauntlet from the Tribe, for what we don't know, and that Grease Monkey stole it back and hid it, revealing its location only to the Elder. And Elder is sure as hell not gonna tell anyone else."  
  
"Shit," Squall sighed. "I guess we just have to keep looking for it."

* * *

Rinoa sat on the floor, leaning against her door for quite a while. She didn't know how long she'd been there, but it didn't really matter.  
  
She was still thirsty, but she wasn't about to walk back into the hallway after that scene. Not just yet. What she'd seen had disturbed her. More than it should have, given the circumstances, but it had bothered her, nonetheless.  
  
She was still getting used to the idea of Squall not being her boyfriend, but he obviously wasn't going through the same problem. Sure he'd apologized for the incident on the dance floor the night of the party, but she had trouble believing his sincerity after what she saw tonight.  
  
It was such a small and simple gesture, but she knew Squall. He didn't walk arm-in-arm with somebody easily. He rarely even walked someone back to their room without a fight. It had taken him a while to get that comfortable with her, his girlfriend of three months at that point, but she'd seen him do it that very night with the same girl he'd danced with.  
  
He seemed so comfortable with that girl, just walking slowly down the hallway together, talking and laughing quietly, so not to wake anyone else up. He and Rinoa used to do that all the time. Coming in late and nearly making a game out of trying to walk to his dorm without waking anyone up. They would try to make the other laugh, just to see which one could be quieter. It had been one of those private things that they had shared. Something Rinoa had thought would remain just between them.  
  
Sitting up a little straighter, Rinoa began to realize that it had never really occured to her that they were REALLY broken up. She didn't want to be broken up. She loved him. As tough as the relationship had been, it was worth it to her to see his face every night when he came home. Being apart wasn't what she wanted at all.  
  
But now she knew it was too late. He was obviously interested in pursuing a relationship with that girl. And if that was the case, Rinoa had no business being here. As upset as it made her, she felt no desire to cry. Perhaps because she knew that this was, in fact, the arrangement that they had made. It wasn't her place to be upset in the ways of a jealous girlfriend.  
  
Sighing, Rinoa stood up and began digging through her closet for her suitcases and duffel bags. It would take a while to get all of her stuff together, but she wanted to leave before anyone could try and stop her.  
  
And so she packed though the early hours of morning, until the sun came up and illuminated the Garden.

* * *

Squall groggily walked out of Cid's office after a long meeting that had begun shortly after Laguna came back with his news. He had gotten no sleep, but it had been necessary, as far as he was concerned. This information was important, and they needed to get the next plan of action in gear as soon as possible.  
  
Stepping out of the dark elevator, Squall squinted as the early morning sun that was flooding into the main hallway of Garden nearly blinded him. He descended the stairs in front of the elevator, but stopped at the bottom as a familiar figure caught his eye up ahead.  
  
The figure was far away, but he could make out the long dark hair, the feminine form, a duffel bag and suitcase being carried by either arm, and a medium sized dog trailing behind. Zone was a few feet ahead of her.  
  
"Rinoa?" he called out, but she was too far away to hear.  
  
He began to jog in her direction, his mind producing a thousand thoughts along the way.Where the hell is she going? being the most prominent.  
  
He saw them approach a yellow car outside the main gate.  
  
A taxi. She has bags and she's getting into a taxi. With Zone.  
  
"Rinoa!" he yelled, breaking into a full sprint as the thought occured to him.  
  
She turned at the sound of her name after throwing her bags in the car, and saw him approach her. She thought about ducking into the cab and taking off before he got there, but she knew she couldn't do that.  
  
He finally reached her and grabbed her hand. "Rin, honey, where are you going?" he asked, giving her a nervous smile.  
  
Rinoa let out a sigh at hearing the endearment, and stepped closer to him. Before he could say another word, she took her hand from his, grabbed his face and pulled him into a hard kiss.  
  
Zone looked away from the scene and took a seat in the back of the cab.  
  
Rinoa broke the kiss after a few moments, keeping her eyes closed, and whispered harshly, "I love you."  
  
She then turned and got into the car and they drove off, leaving Squall dumbfounded and staring in the direction of the rapidly vanishing taxi.  
  
"I love you, too," he mumbled, his eyes never leaving the vehicle.  
  
He shook himself out of his daze after the car was out of sight and ran back into Garden. He wanted to know what was going on.  
  
He ran to her room, quickly swiping his keycard through reader and looked around. Most of her things were gone. Things she wouldn't take on a normal trip or vacation. She was leaving Garden. For good.  
  
His gut wrenched and he quickly ran for his dorm, looking for anything she may have left for him. A note, or any of his belongings that she had been in possession of.  
  
As he opened his door, there it was. The evidence that she was gone from his life.  
  
A note on the floor, having been slipped under the door, and his ring.  
  
He picked them up and swallowed hard, carefully opening the folded cerulean blue paper.  
  
Squall,  
  
I know this is probably the worst way to say goodbye, but it's the easiest for me. I know that we're technically broken up, but I guess I didn't really believe it until last night. It's not right for me to be mad at you for it, but I saw you with Eve last night. Maybe she's a nice girl, but I'm really quite amazed at how quickly you seem to have gotten over me, regardless. I kind of thought that we were just taking a break, I guess, but I see now that I was mistaken.  
With that said, I've decided that I no longer have a place here. I was here for you, and now that I don't have you, there's no reason for me to stay. Maybe I was useful for missions and all that, but it's really not the lifestyle I had in mind. I did all of it for you. No, I'm not mad, and I don't regret any of it, but now that I'm on my own, I should be doing other things. I'm not quite sure what those things are, but I'll figure it out.  
I'm going to stay with Zone for now. Contrary to what it may sound like, I'm NOT planning on severing all communication with you and all of my friends. I will call you in a few days to let you know that I'm alright. So, in case you were wondering... no, I don't hate you or think of you as a heartless bastard. I do know that you'll be concerned for me. Please take care and know that I love you very much, for this will probably be the last time I can say it to you.  
  
Rinoa   
  
Squall sunk down to the floor and leaned against the wall. He read the letter once more, before setting it down and leaning his head back.  
  
She'd seen him with Eve, and she'd thought that they were dating, or maybe worse. Either way, she left without knowing the truth.  
  
Tears pooled in his eyes as he thought about it.  
  
Part of him was mad at her for this. Mad that she'd even think that he could move on so quickly. He loved her. He'd even told her that after they separated. He thought he'd made it clear that they would get back together at some point, but not until things could be better. He'd wanted to get to a point where he could hire someone to help him with all the tedious bullshit, like paperwork and the like. He'd wanted to stop going on missions so frequently, so he could ease her mind from the constant worrying over his safety. Why couldn't she have waited just a little longer?  
  
Mostly, though, he was mad at himself. He knew he could have gotten help in the office long ago. He could have refrained from personally handling so many missions. But he was stubborn. He thought this Garden would fall to pieces if he gave up his control. It was a conceited and self-righteous thought, but he knew that it was true to at least a small degree. Missions wouldn't be executed as efficiently, and who knows if the paperwork would be filled out and filed properly. But still... he knew that Garden could hold its own without his every command. And he knew that Rinoa was more important to him.  
  
Now she was gone, and possibly forever. Gone to live with Zone.  
  
Squall swallowed hard again.  
  
The idea of Zone touching her made him seethe with anger. He knew that Rinoa didn't have any romantic interest in him, but Zone's interest in her was as clear as fucking day, and Squall wouldn't put it past him to try something now that he wasn't there to keep an eye on her. Sure, Rinoa could fend for herself, but people have been known to do irrational and stupid things when going through emotional difficulties. And Zone may very well try and talk her into bed, knowing she was upset about this break-up.  
  
Perhaps it was unfair to label Zone as a date-rapist, but Squall was well aware of the extent of Zone's attraction to her. And Zone was certainly an impulsive and emotionally driven person. He'd seen it first hand since the day they met over two years before.  
  
Squall could kick himself for letting this happen. He'd had a great woman in his grasp and he'd let her slip through his fingers just because he was stubborn, and put her into the hands of potential danger. And to top it all off, she thought that he was in love with someone else.  
  
God, Rinoa, how could you think I could ever get over you? he thought, as the unshed tears finally found their way down his face.  
  
He hastily wiped them away, stood up, and headed out the door for his office. He was too distraught to sleep, and there was mounds of work to do on this Materia Gauntlet case that he could distract himself with.  
  
She would call in a few days, and then he would explain everything in hopes that he could fix this colossal mistake.

* * *

A/N: So, it was a bit dramatic, but hey... I needed to prove the Squall was still all about Rinoa. Anyway, keep reading!  
  
To DBH- Heh heh. Well, you're on the right track, but it's not what you're thinking. Aside from that, now we know what the weapon is, and you are correct, the Shumi Tribe won't really be of anymore help. We must trust our elite SeeD force to get off their lazy butts and figure the rest of it out. :-) Thanks again!  
  
To yummychocolatexD - Just wait and see what happens... I think you will be pleased. Thanks for the comment!  
  
To Rinoa Leonheartilly- Well, I hope I'm not being too predictable. I still may have a few more surprises up my sleeve. Thanks for the review! I hope you're still enjoying the story!  
  
To lung- Thanks for the compliment! It's been my goal to get on someone's favorites list. I usually update pretty frequently, so keep checking for new chapters! Thanks again for the review!  
  
To TrinForever- Well, this chapter was the beginning of the Squinoa stuff, so I hope it's satisfactory for now. Keep reading! There will be more! Thanks for the review! :-) 


	13. The Stranger

Chapter 13 - The Stranger

Rinoa carefully stepped into the vacant apartment, Zone following closely behind. After those last few hours of filling out paperwork and negotiating with the complex's property manager, she was dying to get settled in, in hopes of finally relaxing.

She set her bags down on the thick white carpet, and looked around. The place was so empty and cold, and it made her want to run screaming back to the bustling environment of Garden. She had lived for two years around the comfort of her friends, without the long-lost feeling of emptiness she'd felt only when living with her father in Deling. That feeling was returning all too rapidly.

As tired as she was, after having no sleep the previous night, she wanted to get out already. She needed to be around more people. She appreciated Zone's presence, but she needed greater distraction at that moment, if only temporarily.

Grabbing her purse off of the floor, she whirled around to Zone, who was exploring the kitchen.

"I'm going to the little pub on the corner, wanna go?" she asked.

Zone looked at her, and blinked a few times before answering. "Uh... no, I'm gonna start unpacking. You go ahead."

Rinoa nodded. "Alright, I'll be back a little later. Go ahead and lock up if you leave, I've got the spare key on me."

"Ok," he mumbled, busying himself with his exploration once again.

The walk to Balamb's bar was a relatively short one, and Rinoa was grateful for the short distance. She needed to be around people as soon as possible.

Stepping inside, she blinked several times, trying to get her eyes to adjust to the dim light of the establishment from the sun's blinding brightness outside. After a few moments, her vision returned to normal and she looked around.

There were very few people inside, as it was the middle of the day, but there were enough to relieve a little of her tension.

A man and woman sat at a far table, too absorbed in each other to notice her entrance.

A small group of three guys sat together at the bar, all intently watching whatever sports game was on the television above them.

A single man, cloaked in red, sat several seats away from them. His face was down and hidden behind a curtain of thick black hair, a cigarette held between his index and middle fingers.

Looking around once more, Rinoa spotted a table near the bar and sat, looking at a little flyer on the table, announcing the bar's drink specials for that day.

"Hello," a woman's voice asked, "what can I get for ya?"

Rinoa looked up at the waitress and blinked. "Um... "

She looked back to the flyer. _Ugh, no alcohol, Rinoa. You saw what happened last time._

"I'll just have cranberry juice, thanks," she finally said.

The cocktail waitress nodded and walked behind the bar.

Rinoa's gaze followed her, but stopped when the lone man's lean figure at the bar disrupted her line of sight. Her eyes rested on the white cigarette in his hand, which occasionally rose to the man's hidden face, then came back down, only to be followed moments later by a stream of bluish smoke that emerged from behind the black curtain of hair.

She watched in a near trance as the streams of smoke expanded, becoming a thin gray cloud, and surrounded the man's form, giving him a strange and surreal quality. She saw the process repeated several times, not noticing when the waitress placed her drink on the table in front of her. Only the sound of the man's voice startled her out of her trance.

"You are Rinoa Heartilly, correct?" he said with a crisp accent, his back still toward her. He stubbed out his cigarette in the nearby ashtray and waited for her response.

"Uh... y-yes," she stuttered, nervously. _What the hell?_

It wasn't uncommon for people to know who she was after her involvement with Ultimecia and the Garden, but she found this man unsettling. He hadn't even looked up from the bar since she'd come in, and he'd somehow known that she was behind him.

"Do not be alarmed," he said, slowly turning around to face her.

When she caught sight of him, her breath caught in her throat.

The irises of his deep-set eyes were the color of Merlot, visible even through the shadows of his thick hair in the dim light of the bar. His skin was pale, just light enough that it wasn't quite normal. And his other hand... it wasn't a hand at all. It was some sort of claw, made out of a bright metal. When he stood, he was easily over six feet in height.

He slowly stepped over to her, hoping not to frighten her, then he pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down. He sat silently for a long moment, allowing her to scrutinize him before he spoke anymore.

Rinoa was in awe, to say the least. He was beautiful. He was strange, and he was scary as hell to her, but he was gorgeous, nonetheless.

Shaking herself from her intense study of him, she spoke softly, "Is there something I can help you with?"

She bit her lip hard at the involuntarily suggestive and seductive manner in which she'd said it. _Way to be modest, Rinoa._

The stranger smirked and replied, "Well, I mean this nothing like it sounds, but I was hoping that we could help each other."

Rinoa gulped at the statement, and shifted in her seat.

"Again, I did not mean to insinuate anything indecent, so please do not be frightened of me," he explained.

_That wasn't fright _she thought. She could have kicked herself for thinking that way.

Clearing her throat, she sat up a little straighter. "So... how can I... uh... what can I... um... what did you-"

"Please, Miss Heartilly," he interrupted, smiling. "It is not my intention to make you nervous."

As he smiled, Rinoa caught sight of two sharp teeth in his mouth, one on either side where canine teeth would normally be. They protruded a bit too far past his other teeth to be regarded simply as normal canines.

"Who are you?" Rinoa gasped.

"You may call me Val," he replied smoothly. "'Tis a nickname I seem to have acquired somewhere over the years. And please, do not let my appearance disturb you. I wish you no harm."

Rinoa gazed thoughtfully at him for a long moment, then nodded. "I believe you."

"Thank you," he said, pulling out a cigarette and lighter from somewhere inside his cloak. He paused to light it, then continued, "So, you must be wondering why I'm here... well, my finding you in here is all by luck, I assure you. I have been hoping to find you and speak with you for some time."

Rinoa raised her eyebrows in interest. "What is this about?"

He reached into his cloak once more, pulled out another cigarette and offered it to her.

She had smoked few times in her life, mostly in her 'rebellious teenager' days when living with her father. When she felt exceptionally stressed out or upset, she indulged occasionally, but it was a rare occurrence.

Shrugging, she accepted his offer, feeling that today was one of those rare occurrences.

She looked thoughtfully at the small object after he lit it for her. It was white with a small gold $ sign printed just above the filter. A strange symbol; one she'd never seen before.

"I understand that you are the world's only sorceress, currently," he finally said, simultaneously exhaling smoke in sporadic intervals through his words.

She hesitated, then nodded.

"I'll get to the point. There's really not a whole lot of information I can tell you about myself that you could possibly understand, but I need you to listen to me. And more importantly, I need you to believe me," he stated simply.

"Go on," Rinoa encouraged, "I'll listen."

He took a long pull on his cigarette before continuing.

"Someone I once knew, a very long time ago, has done something heinous. I don't think he's even alive anymore, but the damage I believe he's left is monumental," he explained. "I don't quite know how I can explain it, but I fear that something terrible is about to occur because of him. I've waited a long time for it to happen, and now I finally think it's going to."

Rinoa froze for a moment in utter bewilderment, then exhaled a long stream of bluish smoke. "And what do I have to do with this?"

"Well, my dear, I do believe that you are the only one who can help me, as well as potentially every other person on the planet."

* * *

"Squall!" Quistis called out from behind Squall's office door.

Squall bolted upright from where he'd fallen asleep on his desk. He stared dazedly at the desk, confused as to why he would have been sleeping there. Then he suddenly remembered why he'd gotten no sleep after the early meeting with Cid, and the memory hit him hard.

_Rinoa is gone._

"Squall, are you in there?" he heard Quistis ask from outside his office.

"Yeah, come in," he said, trying to compose himself.

The door opened and Quistis walked in, looking tired and unkempt herself. She plopped down in a chair with a heavy sigh.

"What's up?" Squall asked, concerned by her appearance.

"Well, contrary to how I may look, I've got some good news," she said, leaning her head back against the chair with her eyes closed. "I think we may have found where the weapon is hidden. Xu and I, along with the research team, have been working non-stop and I think we finally found the most likely place."

Squall sat up straight, the news jolting him into alertness. "And...?"

"The Deep Sea Research Facility," she said simply. "It's the only plausible location we could come up with. It's remote, and no one without an airship can get into it easily. I don't know how the hell the Shumi Tribe got it in there, but it doesn't matter. That's got to be where it is."

Momentarily forgetting his misery, he got up and yanked Quistis out of her chair and into a hug. The end of his decidedly last mission was drawing nearer, and he was damn happy about it. He just hoped that the effort wasn't too late to get Rinoa back.

"What the...?" Quistis blurted out. She returned the hug, startled by her friend's unusual action. "Are you ok?"

Squall returned to reality and sobered, pulling away from the hug. "Yeah, sorry. I just... this just means that... Forget it. Thanks for your help, Quistis. Go get some rest, please. Seifer'll try to kick my ass if he sees you like this. I'll take care of the rest."

Quistis smiled. "No problem. I'm gonna go tell Rinoa the good news first, then I'm going straight to bed."

Squall froze, the misery seeping back in. "Um... Quistis..."

"Yeah?" she replied, pausing.

"Rin is gone."

"W-what do you mean? She... she was just here yesterday... Squall?" Quistis pressed, becoming alarmed.

"Sh-she left. She got a wrong idea in her head and she's mad at me. She said she call in a few days. I'm sorry..." he sighed miserably.

"What!?" she exclaimed. "How could you-... how did this happen? How could you let her go!?"

"I'll get her back," he whispered, his eyes on the floor. "I promise."

Quistis stopped her tantrum when she saw the pain on her friend's face. He was obviously having a hard time with this, and she didn't want to make anything worse.

Normally, she would have been mad at Rinoa for leaving without a word, but she knew Rinoa well enough to assume that it must have been a for good reason. Besides, she said she'd call.

In the meantime, she would have to wait until Squall fixed things before she could have her friend back at Garden.

_And if he doesn't, I'll fix HIM _she thought, and left the office.

* * *

A/N - A couple of nods in there, one of them having nothing to do with Final Fantasy, but whatever. It's not all that important, anyway. I hope you guys gathered that 'Val' had a British accent, but I can't very well write that when Great Britain doesn't exist in FF8. :-D Anyway, I got a lot of great reviews for the last chapter, and I'm thrilled. I hope you guys liked this one. Let me know! I'll try to update again quickly, so keep reading!

To DBH - Yeah, I just got through playing FF7 & 8 a couple of weeks ago, so I'm all about a slight intermingling of the two, if you will. And yes, you're on the right track, but keep reading. I'm sure you caught on to the stranger in this chapter. :-) Thanks for another motivating review!!

To Griever - That's such an incredibly nice thing to say! That comment made me really happy! I'm sure your opinion will change once you read the stuff from Ashbear and PasifiKStaR and the like, but I'll keep trying! Thanks so much!

To Rinoa Leonheartilly - No worries, I won't give up on this story. I'm having too much fun writing it. :-) Thanks for the comments!

To yummychocolatexD - I tried not to make it too sad and sappy, but alas, 'twas a bit of both. But keep reading! The good parts are drawing near! Thanks for the review!

To Lung - Thanks for the nice comment! I'm not exactly sure what I have in mind for those two, but I'll figure it out. I'll update a.s.a.p.! Thanks again!


	14. The Deep Sea Research Facility

Chapter 14 - The Deep Sea Research Facility  
  
"This thing could be anywhere in here!" Zell whined, turning to Squall.  
  
Squall ignored the complaint and continued with his task of getting the trap door in the floor open. They'd gotten only three levels down in the Deep Sea Research Facility and it had taken nearly two hours, being that every inch had to be scoured.  
  
That and Squall was having trouble concentrating on the work at hand. It had been two days and Rinoa hadn't called him. No, she hadn't specified that she'd call in exactly two days, but Squall was beside himself, convinced that she was hurt or was falling for someone else.  
  
He knew he wasn't being rational. Rinoa wasn't like that and she was plenty capable of taking care of herself. But, she'd run away from him, to go and live with Zone, and Squall had no idea where she was and how to get a hold of her.  
  
It wasn't like him to be so distraught over something. He would never have told Xu to forward any calls at his office to his cell phone on a mission of this kind of importance, but he knew he'd be pissed beyond belief if her missed her call.  
  
"Squall, are you listening?" Zell interrupted his thoughts.  
  
Squall shook himself and looked up at his friend. "What?"  
  
Zell rolled his eyes and sighed. "Eve wants to switch with me. So, I'm gonna go back to the first level and keep looking, and she's gonna came down here with you, ok?"  
  
"Whatever," Squall mumbled, trying to concentrate on his work.  
  
He finally concentrated long enough to get the door open and he cautiously stepped down to the next level, looking for any sign of trouble. They hadn't seen any sign of the soldiers since their arrival, or any sign of ANYONE for that matter. The place was as desolate as usual.  
  
Looking around once more, he reached for his radio to inform the others that he was there and it was clear when the ringing cell phone disrupted him.  
  
He scrambled to get it out of his pocket and open.  
  
"Hello?" he panted, nervously.  
  
"Squall," Xu's voice said from the other end, "Rinoa was here."  
  
"What? Why didn't you have her call me? Is she still there?" he interrogated.  
  
"She left. She came and demanded to know where the gauntlet was and she just left. She was acting kind of funny, too."  
  
"Funny ha-ha, or funny-strange?"  
  
"Strange."  
  
"Well, what did you tell her?"  
  
"I told her that you guys were there looking for the gauntlet right now, and she took off before I could say anything else," Xu explained. "I can only imagine that she's on her way there."  
  
"Why the hell...?" Squall trailed off. There was no point in asking why she was coming and what she wants with the gauntlet, because it was obvious that Xu had none of the answers. "Well, how long ago was that?"  
  
"She left about an hour ago."  
  
"She came and left an hour ago and you're just NOW calling me?"  
  
"Sorry, there was a fight between the students in the hallway right after she left and I had to deal with that. I called as soon as I could."  
  
"Well, whatever. If she's on her way here, fine. But if she comes back or calls for any reason, I want you to call me immediately."  
  
"Sure thing. Good luck."  
  
The phone clicked off and Squall looked up from his phone to see Eve descending into the room.  
  
"Any luck, Commander?" she asked.  
  
Squall shook his head. "Not yet. And Eve, we're friends now, remember? You can call me Squall."  
  
Eve chucked and began looking scouring the room for any clues. "So, I could help but overhear... is someone coming here?"  
  
Squall sighed. "Rinoa might be on her way. Why, I don't know."  
  
Eve paused for a moment and then resumed her search, the small action unnoticed by Squall. She began to search faster, trying to be careful not to miss anything.

* * *

After another hour, and two levels further down, the search had still yielded nothing.  
  
Squall was becoming frustrated. Frustrated because they couldn't find the gauntlet and because Rinoa hadn't shown up or called yet. He was ready to kick something when a voice over his radio halted his actions.  
  
"Commander Leonhart?" the young SeeD began. "Rinoa Heartilly is up here and is requesting permission to come in."  
  
"Send her in," Squall replied quickly.  
  
He placed his radio back on his belt and looked around, realizing that Eve was still there. Oh shit.  
  
If Rinoa saw her, who knows what would happen. She was still under the impression that they were dating.  
  
Before he could do anything about it, though, Rinoa appeared in the doorway above, having run down as fast as she could.  
  
"Rin?" Squall said softly.  
  
She entered the room, not looking at Eve or Squall, and help up her hands, feeling the air.  
  
"It's further below," Rinoa stated simply.  
  
Squall swallowed hard and began to walk toward her, but she ignored the action and went for the panel in the floor. She waved her hand over it, and it opened.  
  
She went below, Eve following behind her. Squall gulped again and stepped down after them.  
  
"It's here," Rinoa gasped. She held her hands up, and let her senses guide her.  
  
Eve twitched nervously and braced herself, unsure of what to expect next.  
  
Squall stood nearby, trying to gather his thoughts and concentrate on the discovery about to be made, but his thoughts kept returning to what he would say to Rinoa after all of this.  
  
Rinoa found herself walking toward a wall, seeing thin lines where a hidden panel was. Keep one hand hovering over it, she flicked her wrist and the panel came off and clattered to the ground.  
  
Rinoa was frozen for a moment as she looked into the gap.  
  
The gaunlet was before her, just waiting to be donned. The metal of it resembled pewter, and there were stones of all different colors fixed on it in an intricate pattern.  
  
But the aura about it was strong enough to catch Rinoa off guard, and she froze for a moment too long.  
  
Before she could register what was happening, a flurry of blonde hair appeared before her, making a dash for the opening and grabbing the gaunlet from its place.  
  
Rinoa spun around to see Eve, her hands fumbling to get the gauntlet around her wrist.  
  
"You!" Rinoa growled, finally seeing the girl's eyes. They glowed, just like Val had told her the eyes of the enemy would.  
  
She came to her senses and quickly sent a hard kick to Eve's hands, sending the gauntlet sprawling across the metal floor.  
  
Squall rushed forward, realizing what was happening, and made a dash for the gauntlet, only to be stopped by metal bars suddenly materializing in front of him, preventing him from going any further. He looked up to see Rinoa lowering her hand from his direction.  
  
"You have to stay back, Squall!" she screamed, simlutaneoulsy sending another barrier, this time a clear magic force field, around the gaunlet.  
  
Eve froze, seeing that she couldn't pick up the gauntlet, and faced Rinoa.  
  
"Sir, we have a problem," a frantic voice suddenly crackled over Squall's radio.  
  
No shit Squall thought.  
  
"The mystery soldiers are here and there are too many for us. What should we do?" the voice continued.  
  
"Are those men yours?" Rinoa asked Eve.  
  
"They are," Eve replied calmly.  
  
"Call them off," Rinoa demanded, raising a threating hand in front of Eve. A ball of fire was in her palm, growing larger, and was ready to be sprung at her opponent.  
  
Eve slowly removed a smaller radio from her belt and held it up her her mouth and uttered three words.  
  
"Do it now."  
  
The ball of fire in Rinoa's hand vanished, alerting her that Eve had just sent an order to activate an anti-magic barrier and that she was now left to her physical defenses only.  
  
Rinoa quickly leaned backwards to avoid the fist that was suddenly flying in her direction. She grabbed at the arm that was retracting from the missed punch, and yanked it over her shoulder as she spun around. With a smooth motion, she delivered the rest of the hip toss and sent Eve to the floor on her back.  
  
For the first time since childhood, Squall was too stunned to move out of fear. Ignoring the panicked voice that called him from his radio, he watched the battle before him ensue through the metal bars. Rinoa was good, but Eve was better. Eve was going to kill Rinoa.  
  
Eve scrambled to her feet and ducked low, sending a hard shoulder into Rinoa's ribcage.  
  
Rinoa grunted at the pain, and sent a knee into Eve's stomach.  
  
Eve backed up and stood, taking a defensive stance, her hands raised. "Come on, bitch."  
  
Rinoa took a similar stance and a fight resembling a boxing match began.  
  
Squall, regaining his composure, grabbed his radio and called for his friends to come down and help quickly.  
  
Eve, hearing the call, ducked from a punch and backed up, slamming the back of her fist into the button that closed the door above them. No one was going to interfere.  
  
She resumed her stance and smiled at Rinoa. She knew Rinoa was no match for her. It was time to quit playing. She delivered a hard sweep of her leg into Rinoa's knees, sending the girl buckling to the floor.  
  
Eve took the short moment she had to dash for the gauntlet, but Rinoa was too quick.  
  
Rinoa's hands shot out and grasped Eve's ankles, sending Eve down to the floor with her. Rinoa quickly crawled over and locked Eve's head in a bar choke.  
  
But the bar choke was too loose and left Eve enough slack to reach over and grab the gauntlet.  
  
Coughing from the pressure on her throat, Eve used the gauntlet to hit Rinoa's side, desperate to get the girl's hold off of her.  
  
But something happened the moment the gauntlet made contact with Rinoa.  
  
A blindlingly bright flash filled the room for a moment, then the room went dark.  
  
Squall clung to the metal bars, squinting to adjust his eyes to the darkness. He couldn't see anything, but felt as the bars began to dematerialize under his hands. He realized he could step forward now and he cautiously proceeded toward the slight shuffling noises he heard in the direction of where the girls were.  
  
He then heard a clank of metal and the sound of the door above them opening.  
  
The lights flickered back on after a few minutes and Squall squinted, trying to look around. Eve was nowhere to be found, Zell, Irvine and Selphie were dashing into the room, and Rinoa was on the floor where the gauntlet used to be, her eyes closed and her body still.  
  
"Rinoa!?" Squall exclaimed, rushing to her. He dropped to his knees at her side and began checking for a pulse, praying silently for one. He finally felt it. It was faint but it was steady.  
  
"Rinoa?" he said softly, gently nudging her shoulder.  
  
She didn't respond.  
  
"Rin?" he said again, a lump forming in his throat. He looked up to his friends. "Get help. Now."  
  
They ran off, and Squall looked back down to her, tears stinging his eyes.  
  
"Rin? Rinoa, come on, baby, open your eyes," he demanded, his hands cupping her face. "Open your eyes.... please..."  
  
His voice had dropped to a whisper and the tears began falling when she didn't respond.  
  
"Please, Rin..." he begged through whispered sobs. "Please... wake up... I need you, baby... please...."  
  
He looked up as footsteps approached from above, seeing Selphie standing there with tears in her big green eyes.  
  
"Help is coming," she mustered, shaken by the sight of her friend, the stoic commander, crying in front of her for the first time.  
  
A/N: Ooooh, drama. Hee hee. Betcha can't wait to see what happens next! So, you're probably wondering why the bars that Rinoa put up still remained after the anti-magic field was put up. Well, I figure that once they solidified that they were no longer just a magic barrier, that they were created and then they were part of the building... but you have to wait til leter to find out why they disappeared. Sorry for the delay, I won't bombard you with excuses this time. Just shut up and review. ;)  
  
To DBH - Yeah, the concentration seems to be an issue for poor Squall. Now look at him. Sheesh! ;) Thanks for the review! You rock my socks off.  
  
To Quisty878 - No worries. Vince is a good guy, he won't make any moves. Did I say Vince? I meant Val... oops. ;) Besides... he's a bit too old for Rinny.  
  
To Angelprinczess - Thanks for the review! I love knowing that people enjoy this story. And about Val, well... see above to Quisty878's response.  
  
To Rinoa Leonheartilly - Thanks again for the nice comments! I hope you're still as addicted to this as I am, even though it's taken me forever to update. Hee hee.  
  
To Rebekka - I don't think you'll be disappointed. :-) Thanks for the comment!  
  
To Lung - Thanks again for the wonderful comments! They really make me motivated. I'm so glad that you're enjoying this story.  
  
To yummychocolatexD - Hmm... everyone seems quite intrigued by Val. Well, just read the above responses. Thanks for the comment!! Hope you're still enjoying it! 


	15. The Coma

A/N: Hello... it's been a couple of weeks, hasn't it? Well, I was going to rewrite the previous chapter, but I got lazy so I reposted it. Go back and read it if you haven't. Anyway, this one will be a little short, and it will be the last one for at least a week and a half... I'll be going to Cali for a job, but I will be back in a week or so. Please review!  
  
Chaper 15 - The Coma  
  
"Any change?" a timid voice said behind Squall.  
  
Squall turned in his chair to see a distraught look on Selphie's face. He shook his head sadly in response and turned back to the infirmary bed that held Rinoa's still body.  
  
His voice was hoarse when he spoke. "Doc Kadowaki can't figure it out. She sustained almost no bodily injury, other than and couple of bruises and scrapes, and there was no damage to her head. She just... mysteriously fell into a coma of some sort."  
  
Selphie stepped further into the room and took a seat on the other side of the bed, facing Squall. As she looked at Squall, holding Rinoa's hand, she began to tear up once again.  
  
He looked terrible. There were dark circles around his gray eyes, and the rims were slightly red. He'd obviously been crying frequently since she'd been brought in the day before.  
  
"Squall, why don't you go get some rest?" Selphie began. "I'll stay here with her, and Quistis will be coming in soon, too. We'll keep an eye on her, I pr-"  
  
"No," Squall cut her off. "I... I won't leave her. I've fucked up enough. I need to be here when she wakes up."  
  
"Squall, that could be days, weeks... even years from now," Selphie said, almost instantly regretting her words.  
  
Squall looked up accusingly at the girl, his eyes becoming glassy.  
  
"I'm sorry," Selphie whispered. "I know she'll be ok, Squall, I know it... "  
  
Squall kept his eyes on her for a long moment, then he nodded and looked back to Rinoa.  
  
After several silent minutes, the door to the infirmary opened and Seifer shuffled in, followed by Quistis.  
  
Selphie stood and offered a small, sad smile to Squall, then left.  
  
"Squall," Quistis said softly, taking the seat that Selphie had vacated. "Doctor Kadowaki wants to speak with you."  
  
Squall's head jerked up to her. "Does she know what's wrong with Rinoa?"  
  
Quistis' eyes were focused on Rinoa and she spoke slowly. "Well, it's hard to say. Just go talk to her."  
  
"Can't she come in here?" Squall sighed, not wanting to leave Rinoa's side.  
  
"Squall, quit being difficult," Seifer chided in. "She's with Edea in Cid's office."  
  
"Edea?" Squall whispered. "Why...?"  
  
Instead of asking more questions, to which he knew he would get no answers, he stood. He placed a soft kiss on Rinoa's still lips and softly told her, "I love you."  
  
With that, he pivoted on his heel and promptly headed out the door without another look.  
  
Upon reaching Cid's office, he saw the worried face of Edea and the sympathetic face of Doctor Kadowaki looking at him as he entered.  
  
Edea rushed to him and enveloped him in her motherly embrace.  
  
"Matron, what are you doing here?" he asked, returning the embrace.  
  
She stepped back and gestured to a chair, as she took her own seat.  
  
Squall hesitantly sat down and waited anxiously for one of the women to speak.  
  
"Squall..." Edea began softly. "I came as soon as I heard. Doctor Kadowaki has informed me of everything that's been going on and about Rinoa's... condition."  
  
She gulped hard before continuing. "I think I might know what happened."  
  
Squall's eyes became wide and he breathed, "You mean you know what's wrong with Rinoa?"  
  
Edea stood and began to nervously pace the room. "You know that I've been working with Rinoa for quite a long time now, trying to develop her powers as much as possible and to teach her to have control over them.  
"As I've told you before, I'm sure, Rinoa is quite amazing. She has greater control and greater power than I've ever seen a sorceress have, but some of her powers are still underdeveloped. It's almost as though she has all these amazing abilities but some of them are locked away, and we have yet to find the key to opening them.  
"She senses the incredible power that she has inside of her, but it remains untapped. And I believe that now... we may have found the key."  
  
Squall stared hard at the aging ex-sorceress before him. "What do you mean? What does this have to do with Rinoa's coma?"  
  
Edea sighed and sat in a chair, directly if front of Squall. "That Materia Gauntlet... I don't know much about it, but from what I've gathered, it has incredibly concentrated magic within it, and Rinoa was hit with it. You told the doctor that you saw a bright flash when it made contact with her, correct?"  
  
Squall narrowed his eyes and nodded slowly.  
  
"Well," she continued, "other than that, there's no reason for her to be in this coma. Something happened when it hit her, Squall.  
"You see, I believe that.... well, let me put it this way. You know when a caterpillar reaches a point where it cocoons... then later becomes a butterfly? Well, I think that Rinoa... is cocooning, so to speak."  
  
Squall's brow furrowed and he raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You're saying she's not hurt... that she's going to turn into a giant butterfly?"  
  
Edea frowned at the sarcasm. "No, Squall... I'm saying that I think the gauntlet was the key, or at least a reasonable simile. I believe it unlocked the power that has been dormant in her. We can think of no other explanation... and having residual traces of sorcery still in me, every fiber of my very being is telling me that this is exactly what is happening. And when she awakens, I predict that she will be the most powerful sorceress this world has seen."  
  
Squall froze. He didn't know what to think. Did this mean that she would be evil and greedy like the powerful sorceresses before her? Or would she still fight on their side? And how long does this process take?  
  
"Matron," Squall said softly. "When will she wake up?"  
  
"Well," she sighed, "if I'm correct.... it could be hours, days, even weeks... I don't know. I was never meant to be a strong sorceress. I never went through this, but I know throughout history, many have and it always varied. None of them were near this powerful, though, so I don't know if that makes a difference."  
  
Squall's eyes dropped to the floor. He was about to speak again when he heard a small beeping sound from the direction of the doctor.  
  
Doctor Kadowaki grabbed something, a small pager it seemed, from her pocket.  
  
"Oh, goodness," she gasped, heading for the door. "She may be seizing."  
  
Squall shot out of his chair and rushed to the infirmary ahead of the doctor. Before he could reach the door, though, Seifer burst out and nearly ran into him.  
  
"Squall, I don't know what's wrong," Seifer panted. "She's freaking out. Her body is jerking around and I don't know what's.... where's the doctor? I paged her..."  
  
"Right here," Doctor Kadowaki said, jogging to the door. She rushed in and the other two followed.  
  
Squall felt his stomach churn violently as he watched the scene before him.  
  
Rinoa's body was twitching with spasms. He could see the muscles in her arms, her jaw, even her legs through the thin white sheet were repeatedly flexing uncontrollably. Squall was sure she'd fall off of the bed if it kept up.  
  
Edea walked in moments after and gasped when she saw the girl.  
  
"What's happening?" Squall demanded, turning to Edea. "What's happening to her?"  
  
Edea shook her head in utter bewilderment. "I don't... I don't know."  
  
As abruptly as it started, it stopped. Rinoa was lying still on the bed again. Just as if nothing had happened.  
  
Only her breathing was different.  
  
She was breathing in ragged gasps, as if having nearly drowned moments before.  
  
Squall quickly moved to her side and took her hand.  
  
He looked up at Doctor Kadowaki's bewildered face and looked back down to Rinoa.  
  
As if on cue, her eyes fluttered open.  
  
"Rinoa?" Squall gasped, his eyes tearing up at the sight of her warm brown eyes. He grasped her hand tighter.  
  
Rinoa stared at the ceiling for a long time before her deep, throaty voice broke the thick, silent tension in the room with a growl.  
  
"I'm gonna kill that bitch!"

* * *

A/N: Damn, she's pissed. Well, there you have it. I will be back to write more soon, and I promise things will get interesting. Review!!  
  
To DBH- Well, we know that Eve's in for a heavy dose of Rinoa's custom brand ass-kickin! But, yeah, I don't imagine all that felt too good, either. Thanks for the review!  
  
To Rinoa Leonheartilly - Well, Eve's gonna get it! I like her, even if she is a bad guy. She's a bad ass. Hee hee. Thanks for the comment!


	16. The Awakening

A/N: Hey guys, I'm back. Well, I don't have a lot of time to work on the story anymore, so I kind of rushed this chapter in hopes of getting it posted quickly. Therefore, it's a bit short, but I promise there is more good stuff to come. This chapter is a bit fluffy, but just deal with it, and please review!  
  
Chapter 16 - The Awakening  
  
Squall stared at Rinoa, stunned at the vicious and downright unexpected outburst. He could feel his mouth moving with the intention of speaking, but before he could even form words, Rinoa was on her feet, looking around frantically.  
  
"Rinoa, dear, you need to lie down," Doctor Kadowaki told her. "At least until I can examine you and make sure you're okay."  
  
Rinoa then seemed to recognize her surroundings and she calmed.  
  
"I'm fine," she stated in a tone that left no room for dispute. "If there was anything wrong I'd know about it. Sorceress, remember?"  
  
Doctor Kadowaki hesitated for a moment, then spoke again. "Humor me, Rinoa, please."  
  
Rinoa sighed and went back to the bed, briefly eyeing Squall, then shifting her gaze to Edea.  
  
"Edea, how are you?" she said, smiling.  
  
She was genuinely glad to see the ex-sorceress, but was also using the opportunity to avoid conversing with Squall. She could sense his anxiety and discomfort clearly, and she knew she had hurt him by leaving.  
  
She hadn't intended to cause him pain, but she couldn't ignore that she'd felt the same pain when she saw him and Eve walking down the hall so closely that night.  
  
It was different now, though. From the moment she'd woken up just minutes before, she knew that there had been nothing between the two, and she was wrong to have assumed such a thing before. The knowledge of it was clear, as if it had been there all along.  
  
As she continued her small talk with Edea, her mind wandered elsewhere, puzzled and distracted by the obvious changes that had apparently occured while she was unconscious.  
  
Her senses were incredibly sharp, intensified now to at least three times what they had been before. She could sense every emotion that went through every person in the room. She knew without trying that she could easily read each thought that passed through their minds with no effort.  
  
She could hear the sounds of the students in the hallways clear across the Garden. She could zero in on a particular student if she wanted, and hear every detail of their movements from the fabric of their clothes to the beating of their hearts.  
  
She could smell the individual scents of everyone, much like an animal, while blocking out any other smells, if she wanted.  
  
She knew that if she was to go outside, that her vision would be clear for miles, and could probably zoom in on things much like a sniper's scope.  
  
And her magic. She could feel the intensity of her magic like nothing else. It was welling up and eager to be used, and was umatched by any magic she'd ever been witness to before.  
  
And she could acknowledge all of this while still holding and fully comprehending her conversation with Edea as the doctor briefly examined her.  
  
"So, that about sums up my theory on what happened," Edea finally concluded.  
  
Rinoa nodded. "You are absolutely correct. I can feel the change. Everything is different. I have all this... knowledge, I guess... and these abilities that I never had before. And I can sense them without even testing them. It's... weird."  
  
Squall had watched Rinoa through the entire conversation, studying every expression on her face intently. As much as he had been dying to speak with her, he was suddenly afraid to. He feared that with her new power, everything might be different. He feared that she was still upset with him. He feared that she still thought something had happened between himself and Eve.  
  
And as stupid as he knew it was, he feared that she suddenly didn't love him anymore. He knew that taking this time apart was a mistake, and he wanted the opportunity to remedy that.  
  
He could have kicked himself for letting this tentative break-up even happen. It was utterly retarded as far as he was concerned and he couldn't remember for the life of him if there was even a good reason for such a thing. There were a few minor discrepancies and conflicts, yes, but nothing that justified the price he was now paying.  
  
He suddenly realized that Rinoa had ended her conversation with Edea and was now looking at him, obviously with a degree of discomfort.  
  
He took a deep breath and spoke.  
  
"Rin, before you say anything, I wanna explain some things. Uh... Eve and I were never involved in any way. I mean, she liked me, and clearly stated even that she had romantic, uh, intention towards me, but I never reciprocated, and I even told her that. So... we agreed on friendship, and I swear that's all it ever was. Great choice in friends, eh?"  
  
Rinoa smiled slightly, and was about to speak, but Squall stopped her, both momentarily forgetting that there were several other people in the room.  
  
"Wait, let me finish," he said, then took another deep breath. "I think that we made a huge mistake by breaking up and... I want you to give our relationship another chance, that is, if you are... willing. I just... I really freaked out, Rin, when I thought you were hurt, and it really made me think... and I just... I..."  
  
"Squall, it's... it's okay," Rinoa interjected quietly. "I'm not upset with you. I know that I assumed incorrectly, and for that I'm sorry. I really am."  
  
Squall cleared his throat and took her hand. He kissed her knuckes and slowly brought his eyes back up to meet hers. "So...."  
  
"First," she began, having read his thought before he could say it, "things have to be a little different. I can't stand the waiting every night, Squall. I love you, _god_, I love you, but I can't handle it. If I'm gonna be with you, I need to _be_ with you, understand?"  
  
Squall nodded vigorously. "I understand. I'm gonna have Quistis and Xu help me with office stuff, and I'll cut down on missions... there are plently of other capable SeeDs who can do them for me. Baby, I promise I'll be around more. But... "  
  
"But... something has to be done about Eve first," Rinoa finished. "I know. We'll take care of her. I hate to say it, but you guys won't do a lick of damage to her and that gauntlet without me, so we're in this one together."  
  
Squall nodded, hating the idea of putting her in danger, but he was fully aware that she was right.  
  
Eve was now about as powerful as a sorceress, and though they'd defeated sorceresses before, she was the only one who knew the tricks of SeeD. She had been one of them for years.  
  
Now she was in hiding, and probably hidden well, knowing the SeeDs' methods in searching. That raised an obvious question.  
  
"How the hell are we gonna find her?" Squall grumbled.  
  
Rinoa grinned, finally wrapping her arms around Squall's neck. "Oh, don't worry. I know exactly where she is now. Thanks to her, really. If she hadn't whacked me with that thing, I'd be as clueless as you, but now I know just how to find the little whore."  
  
The room went silent and everyone was gawking eagerly at Rinoa in anticipation, waiting for her to reveal this revelation.  
  
Rinoa glanced around the room, noticing that the rest of their friends had apparently entered the room at some point while she was concentrating on her conversation with Squall, all with eager expressions on all of their faces.  
  
She chuckled and said, "Well, we'll get to her soon enough, don't worry. We have some time before we have to go. But as of now, Squall and I have some long overdue and unfinished business to tend to, so if you'll excuse us."  
  
Without a word more, she hopped up from the hospital bed and dragged a grinning Squall out the door behind her, with the intention of heading straight for the dorms.

* * *

A/N: And there it is... I promise the good stuff will be coming soon, so be patient with me. I'm trying...  
  
Oh, and I need your help! There was this story I read here a while back... It was a squinoa, and Seifer and Zell were a couple in it... and there was a scene where Quistis got drunk and ended up going home with Seifer and Zell (it was all innocent, of course)... and that's all I remember. It was a really good story, but I can't remember the title or the author. And like a dumbass, I didn't bookmark it. Does anyone know which one I'm talking about?? Please leave me a review with any info... please....  
  
To DBH - Well, I have returned but the updating might still be slower than it has been... not that it's been all that quick to begin with. But, I will write when I can. And yes, I'm going to attempt to make the final showdown as interesting as possible, but hey, no promises. I'm still not very good at this stuff. Thanks for the review!  
  
To Silverkitsune3 - Well, that was awfully nice of you to read my story for just giving you a review! Hope you've enjoyed it so far, as I am a fan of your work! Thanks for the review!  
  
To rebek - Well, I'm trying to get it out as fast as I can... it's just been a little slow lately. I'm glad you like this! Thanks for the comment!  
  
To Lung - That's definitely an idea to consider... I'll experiment with it, but no promises. If it works out well, then I'll definitely post it! Thanks for the enthusiasm! Oh, and the review!  
  
To Calicat1 - Hey, a new reviewer! Yay! Thanks so much for the nice comments! I will remain loyal to writing this story, though it may take me some time to complete it. Keep reading, though!  
  
To Rinoa Leonheartilly - I'm glad you're still so into the story! Yeah, that showdown should be pretty interesting, let me tell ya. Rinoa was a baddie before, but now she's a full-on badass! 


	17. The Confrontation

Chapter 17 - The Confrontation  
  
"Well, you would think that she'd have picked a better hiding place," Squall muttered, leaning over the control panels in the Ragnarok's cockpit as they landed outside of the Centra Ruins.  
  
"Why would she need to hide if she has all that power and doesn't know about Rinoa? And not to mention a whole army of soldiers at her disposal..." Selphie replied, dryly.  
  
Squall shrugged and turned around, heading for the back of the room, where Rinoa was sitting, preparing herself for the impending confrontation. As he approached, she hopped out of her seat and began jogging in place.  
  
"Spar with me," she commanded.  
  
"Now?" he asked, stopping in his tracks. "Here?"  
  
"Yeah," she replied, simply. She stepped up closer to him and took her fighting stance, just how Squall had taught her.  
  
Shrugging once more, he took his stance and blocked as she threw the first punch.  
  
"Just curious," Squall began, barely missing another punch, "why are we doing this? And right before we're going in to find Eve? You don't plan on fighting her like this, do you?"  
  
"Well, I'm hoping she'll accept a fair challenge, but if she won't, I'll be prepared," Rinoa explained, easily dodging a low kick. "I just don't want anyone else to get hurt, and with all this strong magic that will be flying around, it's very likely that someone else will get... shrapnel, so to speak. That's why I want you and everyone else to leave if it comes to that."  
  
"What!?" Squall exclaimed, dropping his stance and staring at her. "You're actually suggesting that I leave you alone in there?"  
  
Rinoa sighed and nodded, dropping her fighting stance as well. "There's nothing anyone else can do, anyway. I'm the only one that stands a chance. There's just no sense in anyone else potentially getting hurt, needlessly."  
  
"Rinoa, I realize that we can't fight her, but she could have a whole army of those soldiers with her, and what if you get hurt? You may need someone around to heal you quickly. I'm sorry, Rin, but I just won't let you do it alone."  
  
Squall held his breath, waiting for her response, knowing that she could win this argument if she really wanted to. All he could do was hope that she would give in this time.  
  
Rinoa stood silently for a long moment, gazing at him.  
  
"Ok... but if I tell you to back off, you listen to me, understand?" she firmly commanded.  
  
Squall released his breath in relief and nodded. "Thank you."  
  
"I guess we should go in before she sends her boys in here," Rinoa said, scraping her hair into a messy ponytail.  
  
Squall swallowed hard as he watched her head for the door. He only had a slight idea of what they could expect when they went in, but he had no doubt that Eve could surprise every one of them.

* * *

As was anticipated, the black-clad soldiers emerged from their posts the second they saw Rinoa and the group of SeeDs approaching and attacked without hesitation.  
  
It was a regular cinematic battle scene.  
  
"Spread!" Squall demanded to his companions as the fight broke out.  
  
Squall and Seifer easily dispatched a third of them with their gunblades in a matter of minutes.  
  
Laguna and Irvine took their positions at either side, quickly sniping off soldiers, one by one, with their guns.  
  
Selphie and Zell jumped right into the heart of the battle, disarming the soldiers of any weapons, and quickly taking them out in the process.  
  
Rinoa calmly walked further and further toward the entrance of the ruins, casting strong spells on anyone who tried to block her path, usually taking out small groups of them each time.  
  
Quistis had remained at Garden at the insistance of Seifer and her friends, but was communicating with the Seifer, via mic transmitters. She didn't really know what good she could do, but she'd demanded it, certain that it would just kill her if she didn't know what was going on. She didn't want the stress of worrying if her loved ones were alive or not, and they'd agreed to it.  
  
Rinoa finally reached the entrance, and turned around to face the battle behind her. The last of the soldiers crumpled to the ground, and her companions jogged to catch up with her.  
  
Sighing, Rinoa went in, not waiting for them. Determinedly, she began climbing the stairs, not stopping until she finally reached what used to be Odin's lair, her friends trailing behind.  
  
As she approached the door, it flew open, and Rinoa boldly stepped in to face Eve, who stood in the middle of the room. Her face was expressionless, not at all cocky or condescending as Rinoa had expected.  
  
There was nothing but an emotionless and unwavering stare.  
  
Rinoa knew that reading her mind would be futile, as she knew that Eve would have thought to be on guard for such a thing. Instead, she stood still, waiting for a first move or even a word from Eve.  
  
Finally Eve spoke.  
  
"You might not believe me, but I'm actually quite torn about doing this."  
  
Rinoa was stunned for a moment. She had been expecting something a tad more threatening. But the sincerity in Eve's grosgrain voice was unmistakable.  
  
Rinoa held her ground, though, and responded. "Torn about what, exactly?"  
  
Squall and the others finally reached the doorway, but none dared to step in yet. They opted instead to listen.  
  
"I was not always like this," Eve stated plainly. "Don't get me wrong, this is not a sympathy ploy, because I am quite aware that a long and horrendous battle is inevitable. I just want you to know."  
  
Rinoa couldn't deny that she was intrigued. "Why?"  
  
"Why do I want you to know, you mean? Or why wasn't I always like this?"  
  
"Both, if you will."  
  
A red velvet chair materialized behind Rinoa, and it was then that she noticed the gauntlet firmly clamped around Eve's left forearm, as she had raised it to magically produce the chair.  
  
"It's a long story, so you may as well have a seat," Eve sighed, taking her own seat.  
  
Squall was bewildered to say the least. This is not what he was expecting at all, much like Rinoa. But he couldn't deny that he was intigued as well, and wasn't about to interfere with the imminent explanation. He took a cue from his friends, who had already taken it upon themselves to find a seat on the ground before the open door to the lair.  
  
It was vaguely reminiscent of the children's story time in the public library. They all sat on the ground, listening intently to the unfolding story at hand, like a group of eager five-year olds.  
  
Rinoa slowly sat on the chair, her eyes never leaving Eve. "I'm all ears."

* * *

Chapter 17.2 - Eve's Story  
  
I had a childhood much like most of you... no real parents, no siblings, no family of any kind. The difference is that I never lived in an orphanage. For as long as I can remember, I was trained fervently to be a killer, though I didn't know it until I got older.  
  
As far as I understand, my teenage mother took me to Galbadia Garden when I was a mere infant, asked the doctor in the infirmary if they could keep an eye on me for a moment, and then was never heard from again.  
  
I still don't know whose sick and twisted idea it was, but someone thought it was an excellent opportunity to create an elite killing machine, by raising me that way practically from birth. It was someone's experiment, I suppose. I was the guinea pig, and there are since none trained like I was, as far as I am aware.  
  
I was trained like any normal SeeD would be, only I had private sessions with samurai and weapons masters from all over the world in my 'off hours'.  
  
At first it was all mental training. I was educated and conditioned for the first few years of my life by these people, then when I reached an appropriate age, I was trained physically, as well.

I mastered almost every different kind of skill they threw at me, whether it was medicine or kendo. It didn't matter.  
  
The file on me that you read, Squall, was a fabrication. I wasn't at Galbadia Garden for eight years. I was there for seventeen.  
  
I was qualified to be a SeeD long before I came here, but I had become too good too fast, and hell, even at the age of twelve, many of the instructors and administrators wanted me away from the other students because of it. I was essentially known as a sociopath. Everyone was terrified of me.  
  
So I moved on. I spent the last couple of years in Trabia Garden, concentrating on medicine. I became scared of my own training and where my life was taking me, so I strived to be a good person. I wanted to heal instead of kill. But, I found myself caring less and less about the feelings and lives of others. I didn't _want_ to be known as a sociopath, because I knew that that's where I was headed if I didn't stop it.

But... it seemed that no matter what, my life was destined to go in just that direction.  
  
In a world of magic and sub-gods, I'd say it's pretty easy to believe just about everything you see or hear about. But what happened to me about a year ago was something I'd never seen or heard of in my life.  
  
I was out running one morning, several miles outside of Trabia. It was a morning ritual of mine, to run far out where no one was, freezing my ass off, and loving every minute of it. I was the only one that ever went that far out alone, because it never occured to me to be cautious of snow lions, and what have you. I felt that nothing was much of a challenge for me anymore, anyway.  
  
So this one morning, nothing was particularly different. No change in the air, no peculiar noises coming from the bushes... nothing suspicious at all.  
  
But in the blink of an eye, my whole life changed.  
  
A man appeared in front of me, before my very eyes. At first, I couldn't tell that he was even human. It was a mere black and silver lump on the ground, in the middle of a snow field.  
  
I stopped and carefully walked up to the figure. It didn't move at all, so I thought it was dead. It hadn't occured to me that I might have needed a med kit or magic during my run, so I was about to run for help back at the Garden, but a hand suddenly shot up and grabbed my arm.  
  
I looked back down to see a man with glowing green eyes and long silver hair. He was badly beaten, on the verge of death, but his eyes were unwavering and fixed on mine.  
  
"There's.... materia.... here," he croaked out. "Find it.... it... may... save me."  
  
I wanted to tell him that I didn't know what the hell materia was, but I didn't have the heart.  
  
After a second, though, his expression became one of defeat. I suppose he realized that he was about to die, and couldn't be saved in time no matter how hard he, or anyone else, tried.  
  
With a last look into my eyes, something happened. I don't know how to this day, but a part of him possessed a part of me. It was like I acquired his very soul somehow.  
  
I suddenly knew what materia was. It was like I could sense it, but I didn't know where to look. All I could sense was the raw power of it. And I had an unimaginable thirst for it.

I looked down to see the man slumped once more on the ground, and not breathing. I knew then that he was dead.

When I went back to Garden that day, I didn't tell anyone what happened. When I went to the training center, I was stronger. Physical strength was never attribute of mine, but what I lacked there I made up for in speed and efficiency. But I was strong now. And I was quicker, if only by a little.  
  
The identity of the man that I found remains unknown to me, for his body was gone the next day I went out there, but I know he was at least a powerful warrior at some point. And I had gained his fighting abilities, this drive to seek materia, and a rediculously long katana that had been left behind.  
  
And his eyes.  
  
My eyes were a common blue color before, but since that day, they glowed like his had.  
  
Worst of all, though, I feel all this negativity and aggression. It causes great suffering for the part of me that is still me. This man was evil, and the other part of me is possessed with it.  
  
Anyway, I produced an army mostly made up of all of the Gardens' exiles I could find, and of anyone else I could recruit in the last year. But they were no help in finding this materia.  
  
That's when I decided that you guys would be the only ones able enough to find it. So, I came to Balamb, to let you unfold the mystery for me. I just had to bide my time. I knew my soldiers would stir up enough trouble that your attention would immediately be drawn to it.  
  
And you were, of course, immediately drawn to it.  
  
Truly, part of me doesn't want to hurt anyone else, but the other part of me needs to. I've realized that if I wasn't already a sociopath before, that I am becoming one more and more all the time. Hell, I never hesitated to kill my own soldiers when necessary.

Not that I had any kind of emotional attachment to any of them.  
  
But I still have lingering pangs of feeling every once in a while. So, I'm not truly there, yet.  
  
The remorse I feel for putting you through this is genuine, but that will not stop me.  
  
The feelings I have for Squall are genuine and strong, but that will not stop me, either.  
  
I came to take this power and reign, and that's exactly what I am still going to do.

* * *

A/N: I am expecting to get a lot of flack for this one, because I can imagine that it may be difficult to understand. And I say this - some things in this story were written with the purpose of not being explained. All I can tell you is that Eve's soul is sort of infused with that of another... another that mysteriously appeared in this time, perhaps by means of a portal. Hey, it could happen. This story is certainly not over, so please bear with me. I hope you guys still like this one!  
  
To DBH - Have I told you yet that you're my freakin' hero? Yes, you were right about "Pity the Child". I knew you'd be the one to come to the rescue. And I believe the boost is permanent, but the upcoming battle should still be interesting... meaning that yes, she's stronger, but now we know who she's really up against. ;-) Thanks again for being so awesome and loyal!  
  
To starquestor - I do think this is one of, if not THE longest one in the story so far. Yeah, I hated having short chapters, but I've been pressed for time lately, so I was really just trying to get one out. Glad you like the story! Thanks!  
  
To Rinoa Leonheartilly - Sorry, this one took even longer. Glad you're still into it, though! And yes, that must have been an interesting... session, if you will, in the bedroom. Hee hee. Thanks again!  
  
To Frederikke Neergaard - I would agree with you on the Squall-being-upset thing in most other stories, but in this one I put effort into making Squall a little more mature, and a little less hung up on small petty things like that. Besides, he's too worried about screwing it up with her that he wouldn't dare give her a hard time about something like that. He's a little more understanding in this one. Thanks for commenting on it, though! It makes me happy to know that someone is paying that much attention to the character detail. I hope that clears it up for ya. And yes, we are in for a hell of a chick fight now. Things are just starting to get interesting... thanks for the review! Glad you still like the story!  
  
To DoubleMoon - Wow, I'm a honored to have you reading my story, as I am a fan of yours! It makes me very happy to know you like it! Thanks so much for the review!! Keep up the good work on your story!


	18. The Battle

Rinoa and Eve stood from their chairs simultaneously, their eyes locked on each other, knowing the inevitable.

A fight was to ensue, and it would be long and difficult. One would die, and one would leave, not as victor, but as survivor.

Squall and the others stood and waited at the doorway of the chamber, their eyes darting between the two women, frantically. They didn't quite know what to expect. All they knew was that the moment Squall gave the order, they would all rush in against Rinoa's wishes, and would defend her to the death.

Not that Squall had commanded such a thing. It was an unspoken order, one they all knew had to be done without ever uttering a word. Rinoa was their dear friend.

Swallowing, Eve spoke once more.

"Are you ready?" she asked, quietly.

Rinoa nodded once, her eyes remaining on the girl before her.

Without further hesitation, Eve sent a bolt of lightning straight for her opponent, which was easily blocked by a simple raised hand from Rinoa.

Smirking slightly, Eve sent another from her free hand with twice the force, sending Rinoa back several feet, trying to block the heavy magic the best she could.

With a forceful push, Rinoa flung the magic back toward Eve, which was dodged with remarkable ease.

Back and forth it went, magic being thrown repeatedly from both sides, becoming more and more reckless each time, never once hitting its target.

Rinoa was becoming slightly alarmed at the amount of magic it required to ward off Eve's attacks, feeling her magical energy being depleted more rapidly than she had hoped.

The gaunlet was certainly a match for her power, strong as it was. She would need an alternative plan, or they would never get anywhere.

The magical battle went on like a tennis match, the magic becoming gradually stronger each time. Eve was becoming rather frustrated that she couldn't once land a blow on the sorceress, and resorted to her hardest magic.

She threw everything she could from holy, to meteor, and even ultima, but the girl was holding her own, throwing the attacks right back at her. She dodged them easily enough, but knew that this was pointless. She had to be tricky.

She scanned the room quickly, searching for anything that she could use to her advantage. When her eyes landed on Rinoa's entourage in the doorway, she smirked. She just needed to distract Rinoa for a moment.

Pulling together a strong spell, she threw it toward the door, then pulled it back, sweeping up Selphie and Zell with it.

"No!" Rinoa shouted, sternly. Then she did exactly what Eve hoped she would do. She used a moment to throw a protective spell around her friends.

With this one free second, Eve sent a massive meteor spell at Rinoa, sending the briefly unguarded girl to the ground.

Squall watched this, motionless, waiting for Rinoa to get back up.

Rinoa recovered after a moment and began to stand, only to be brought back down by an unseen force.

Eve held Rinoa there, using one hand, then used her free hand to produce another earth-shattering spell, and threw it at full force on Rinoa.

"Rinoa!" Squall shouted, trying to alert her to protect herself.

The effort was in vain, though, as the spell hit Rinoa at full force.

Rinoa winced, trying to ward off the pain the best she could. She knew, though, that Eve would send another spell her way before she could get up, and used her last resort.

"Quistis..." she breathed. "Now."

Hearing her cue over the earpiece, Quistis activated the anti-magic barrier that had been rigged on the Ragnarok from a remote system.

The barrier went up and spanned a fifty mile radius, easily covering the ruins.

Eve, having expected such a trick, lowered her hands and took a breath.

"Alright, we'll do this your way, if that's what you want," she said.

Rinoa stood and shook herself off.

"But I don't think you really know what you're dealing with," Eve continued.

"I don't care," Rinoa replied, calmly. "You will be stopped, one way or another, even if I have to die in the process."

Squall swallowed hard, hearing those words from Rinoa's mouth. Not if he had anything to say about it.

Eve sighed, walked to the back of the room, retrieved her katana and another sword, and returned to Rinoa.

Handing her the sword, she said, "Might as well have some fun while we're at it."

Taking the sword, Rinoa took her stance, as did Eve.

Quickly, Eve advanced on her, making a swift swing at Rinoa's head.

Rinoa drew up her sword, guarding herself from the attack as the steel clanked together.

Eve did this repeatedly, Rinoa scrambling to block every time. She wasn't fighting with skill at all. She was defending out of necessity. She hadn't been trained much with a sword, and was using nothing but instinct to protect herself.

Eve, however, was smooth and skilled, and was mercilessly taunting Rinoa. She knew her skill was unmatched in this instance, and was determined to make Rinoa fight for her life.

Rinoa tried hard to detect any sort of pattern in Eve's attacks, but it was proving difficult as she had to concentrate on not getting her head chopped off.

Using what senses the barrier allowed her, she finally detected the pattern, and waited for her opportunity to take advantage, while wildly fending off Eve's hard strikes.

There.

Seeing her opportunity, Rinoa made a swift slash downward, making a thin red streak appear from Eve's shoulder to her waist.

Grunting in pain, Eve backed off momentarily, glanced at the shallow cut, and advanced on Rinoa again, only angrier this time.

Rinoa fought harder to defend herself now, Eve's attacks more relentless than before. She was just barely making her blocks in time, and now had no time to attempt to strike. It was all defense from here.

Eve unexpectedly lunged foward even closer, and Rinoa faltered, leaving herself open too long.

The cut went cleanly across her abdomen, from side to side, the blood beginning to seep through Rinoa's clothes.

"Oh, god... Rin!" Squall screamed, moving to enter the room. He was held back by his friends, though, knowing he would just be a hinderance if he got involved now.

Gasping, Rinoa went wide-eyed. She glanced down, then back up to Eve. Now she was pissed.

Lunging forward, Rinoa swung and swung, involuntarily backing Eve into a wall.

Eve blocked every strike, but couldn't get a moment to give a strike of her own. She had to think of something else.

Before she could though, Rinoa managed to knock the katana from Eve's hands, sending the weapon sprawling across the floor.

Seeing another opportunity, while Rinoa was temporarily stunned by her own strength, Eve managed to yank the hilt of the sword from Rinoa, sending it following the path of the katana.

Eve then pushed Rinoa away from her, freeing herself from against the wall. Rinoa recovered quickly and looked at Eve.

They stood facing each other now, no weapons, no magic, just the two of them, ready to kill each other.

Taking their stances, Rinoa was the first to strike, throwing a hard straight jab at Eve's face.

Quickly, Eve blocked the punch with her forearms, and recovered quickly, sending a jab of her own right back.

Rinoa sidestepped it, and sent her shin into the back of Eve's knee, throwing her off balance.

Eve dropped, but rolled out and stood again, assuming her stance again.

Rinoa advanced, sending a series of punches and low kicks, Eve barely managing to block each one.

When she found a moment, Eve delivered a right uppercut into Rinoa's ribcage, sending the girl stumbling backward.

Rinoa tried to ignore the pain and attacked again, managing to land a punch to Eve's jaw.

Eve stumbled with the force of the strike, and retaliated, throwing her own series of punches toward Rinoa.

Rinoa dodged the attacks, carefully, and watched for another open spot in Eve's pattern.

When she finally spotted it, she gathered as much strength as she could, fueled by the pain that wracked her body, and delivered a mind-blowing mid-kick to Eve's side.

Eve was knocked to the ground with the force of it, and clutched her side as she tried to stand again.

Shakily getting to her feet, she let out a cough, a drop of blood trickling out of her mouth.

"You have broken ribs, Eve," Rinoa stated. "You should stop."

"Fuck you," Eve hissed.

She then lunged for Rinoa, and managed to grab an arm. Wasting no time, she sent the girl over her back in a hard throw, sending the girl to the ground with a loud "thud".

Without hesisation, Eve sent a hard kick to Rinoa's side.

Grunting, Rinoa managed to turn herself over and roll away, hoping to avoid another strike.

She stood again, and faced Eve, who was now about ten feet from her. Both women stood slightly hunched, the pain beginning to take its toll on their bodies.

Squall stood quietly watching, itching to run in and help, but he knew that he couldn't. If Rinoa was any more distracted that she was, she could get killed. He chose to watch, his mind and heart torn between running in and staying out. He was sure he could take Eve out while she had no magic to use, but knew that she kill Rinoa to distract him, if Rinoa was distracted by him trying to run in and save the day.

There was much at risk, either way, but he had told Rinoa that he would stay out of it.

If it got much worse, however, he wouldn't hesitate to storm in and tear the damn place apart.

Eve and Rinoa attacked each other once again, giving it everything they had, both determined to end this.

Neither managed to get a good hit on the other, and Eve was losing patience. She needed another plan.

She managed to turn the brawl, with Rinoa facing the wall and Eve facing the door.

Suddenly, Eve's eyes got wide and she screamed, "Squall, what are you doing?!"

Rinoa turned quickly around, alarmed at Eve's exclaimation.

Eve didn't hesitate to grab Rinoa in a bar choke, and squeeze mercilessly.

Squall ran in, knowing that Eve's choking techniques were perfect and in a matter of seconds Rinoa would be out cold.

Before he could reach them, however, Rinoa's eyes glazed over and she slumped to the ground.

"Rin!" Squall screamed, dropping to the ground beside her, determined to pull her away from Eve.

"Get away from her," Eve demanded, having grabbed her katana from off the floor. She held it to Squall's neck, her eyes unwavering from him.

Squall stood slowly, reaching for the hilt of his gunblade.

In seconds, their swords were clashing together, Squall easily avoiding Eve's attacks, as all of his energy was still unused.

Eve was beginning to wear thin, however. She mustered as much energy as she could, determined to take Squall out of this equation.

She had to use speed to her advantage. Squall's weapon was heavy, and therefore slower, while hers was lighter and slightly more mobile.

Acting as quickly as she could, she managed a strike, slicing through Squall's thigh, and throwing him off balance.

He faltered for a moment, but recovered, quicker that Eve had expected.

He saw his opportunity for a strike, and took it, returning the slash to her thigh.

Eve dropped to the ground, and looked up at Squall, knowing she had too little strength left in her.

Rinoa's eyes opened at that moment, and coughing from the effect of Eve's choke, she stood, and walked to where Squall was standing over Eve.

Squall backed off, giving Rinoa the opportunity to finish the task at hand.

Rinoa looked down at Eve for a long while, knowing she was too weak to fight anymore.

As she stared, something happened.

The glow in Eve's eyes began to fade as she stared back. They became a soft blue, seemingly without anger or malice.

"E-Eve?" Rinoa stuttered.

"Finish it... please," Eve said, plainly. "He won't stop."

"I-I don't understand, what's hap-..."

Then Rinoa understood. Eve had gained total control of herself for a brief moment, and asked, not pleaded, for the end of the tyranny she knew would happen if she was allowed to live.

She was running out of time before she lost control again, and was fearlessly willing to end her life, in order to spare the lives of others.

Rinoa swallowed hard.

"I guess you're not really a total sociopath, after all," she said quietly, trying hard to keep her emotion in check.

At that moment, tears began to spill from Eve's blue eyes. "No, I guess not. Just know I'm sorry."

Eve's watery eyes remained on Rinoa's, silently pleading with her.

Rinoa was still for a moment, then nodded sadly, understanding.

Eve stared at the ceiling, awaiting her death.

Rinoa closed her eyes and took a breath, hating the chore that awaited her.

Opening her eyes, she saw the glow was returning to Eve's eyes, giving Rinoa no more time to hesitate.

She grabbed Eve's katana from off of the floor, and plunged in cleanly into Eve's heart.

Rinoa watched as Eve's breath slowed, then stopped. Turning away she looked up to Squall, who stood watching, as well.

"I had to..." Rinoa said.

"I know, Rin. That's what we came to do," he replied, wrapping an arm around her and led her out of the room, careful not to upset her wounds.

Zell came in and retrieved the gaunlet from Eve's wrist, and left behind Squall and Rinoa.

No one looked back to the chamber.

* * *

A/N: I know it's been like 8 years since I updated, and for that I'm sorry. And yes, I know this chapter sucked ass, so just hold your criticism, 'cause I guarantee I'm criticizing myself enough for everyone.

No, it's not quite over yet... there will be another chapter after this, so just hold your horses.

To all the people who reviewed, if you remember me, THANK YOU!!!

I'll do personal thanks and responses next chapter. Love ya guys, hope you're still with me!


	19. The Return

Alright, folks... this is the last chapter. It's kind of lame, because I just didn't know what to do with everyone now that there's no conflict... well, read on... complain later.

Chapter 19 - The Return

As soon as the Ragnarok's ramp lowered, everyone scurried out like there was no tomorrow, beyond eager to be enveloped in the comforts of home.

Seifer was the first to run out, determined to locate Quistis as quickly as possible. They'd talked the entire ride home over the transmitter, but he needed to see her before he determined that she wasn't having a panic attack, or anything of the sort.

Selphie and Irvine emerged next, arms around each other, looking at each other like they had just done anything but witness the death of the world's current most threatening enemy, and wanted nothing more than to reach a private room.

Laguna scampered out next, the Materia Gauntlet in hand, being overly cautious not to touch it 'the wrong way'. Zell tailed him, making sure that Laguna had help if he did touch it 'the wrong way'. He had no idea what would happen, or what he would do, but it was comforting for Laguna to have someone else there to share the potentially disastrous results.

Squall and Rinoa were the last ones out, holding each other as they walked, as though one might fall to the ground without the other. Rinoa was still a little banged up, but her sorcery had healed the majority of her injuries after Quistis had deactivated the barrier in the ruins. If they'd waited any longer, she might have lost too much blood.

After arriving, Rinoa spent about two hours in the infirmary, allowing Doctor Kadowaki to run whatever tests she wanted, knowing that the results would be perfectly normal, as they were.

Rinoa left the infirmary, Squall supporting her as she walked, though he knew she was fine and needed no support.

"Let's head to my room," Rinoa suggested quietly. "I want to change out of these bloody clothes."

Squall proceeded to walk her there without a word. There were many questions that were surfacing to his mind now that all of the madness was over, but he wasn't sure where to begin, and if it was even appropriate anymore.

"Have something you wanna ask, Squall?" Rinoa chuckled, sensing his thoughts easily.

Squall scowled for a moment. "Are you always going to be doing that?"

"Not if it bothers you," she replied simply. "I mean, I can pick up these things without effort, but I can turn it off if you want. I know it bothers you. Consider it done."

"Thanks."

"But, really, what did you want to talk to me about?" she insisted.

"Well, a few things, I guess," he began, "like... why did you come to Garden that day, when we were at the research center, demanding to know about the gauntlet?"

Rinoa sighed. "Well... it sounds kind of weird. The day I left I met this man... he said he'd been searching for me and for some reason, he had all of this information about the gaunlet. He really was quite vague... he didn't want to tell me a lot about how he knew about it, but he said something about a man he once knew a long time ago, and how he had done something horrible. My guess is that this man he was talking about was the same guy Eve was talking about.

"Anyway, he pretty much told me what to look for, like the glowing eyes, for example, and he told me that I was the only one that stood a chance against the one who sought the gauntlet. I don't really know how he came to know about all this, but he was right."

"You don't know who he was?" Squall inquired further.

"All I know is that he looks like a vampire and his name is Val. Well, that's his nickname, anyway."

An eyebrow shot up at the word 'vampire', but Squall decided not to ask.

"Anything else?" Rinoa asked.

"Did anything happen with Zone?"

Squall could have kicked himself. He hadn't meant to ask like that... in fact, he hadn't meant to ask at all, for fear of sounding petty and jealous. And he certainly didn't want to sound suspicious of her.

Rinoa smiled half-heartedly. She wasn't sure that Zone asking her out was even worth mentioning. Nothing even came of it, and mentioning it would only cause tension between Squall and Zone. Like it wasn't there already.

"Not really," she finally responded. "He cares about me, Squall, but nothing happened. We will never be more than friends."

She released a breath, satisfied with her response. She didn't lie, and hadn't needed to, for that matter.

Squall nodded. "I shouldn't have asked, but I'm glad to hear it. I'm sure you know now that I told the truth about Eve... that nothing happened."

"I know, Squall," she said, smiling. "Anything else on your mind?"

"Well..." he began, smirking. "I guess I want to know if this is official once again... us, I mean."

"That you can even ask that after what happened when we left the infirmary that day..." Rinoa trailed off, trying to sound offended.

Squall grinned. "Just fucking with ya, Rin."

"Oh, was that all it was?"

Squall laughed. "I didn't mean... nevermind."

Rinoa chuckled, opening the door to her room as they arrived. Stepping inside, her eyes fell to a small folded piece of paper on the floor, probably having been slipped under the door. She bent down and picked it up.

Unfolding it quickly, she read the contents aloud:

"To Miss Heartilly,

I heard what happened at the ruins, and I just wanted to congratulate you on a job well done. Maybe we will run into each other again in the future. Until then, take care.

Val."

"How the hell did he find out already?" Squall demanded. "And how the hell did he get in Garden?"

Rinoa shrugged, snatching clean clothes from her half-packed suitcase. "The guy has ways..."

"Whatever..." Squall mumbled, suddenly distracted by Rinoa beginning to change her clothes before him.

* * *

The chamber was a lot colder, it seemed, since everyone left. Or maybe it was the loss of blood that was occurring that made it so chilly.

Eve didn't know. All she knew was that she was still alive, and she shouldn't have been.

Opening her gleaming eyes, she peered up, her eyes settling on a faint and blurry glow above her.

Where was it coming from?

Slowly, her eyes began to adjust and focus, and the glow became clearer. It was a soft white glow that began at the hilt of the long katana, and went down... all the way to where it had penetrated Eve's body. The area around the wound was glowing, too.

Miraculously finding strength, she reached up, carefully grasping the blade from behind with both hands, as the hilt was too far out of her reach. Getting a hold of the sword from the blunt-edged side of the blade, she braced herself.

Slowly, she pulled the sword up, then moved her hands back down the sword, grasping a new portion, and pulled up again, and finally out of her chest.

The sword still glowed in her hands, and, astounded, Eve sat up, her eyes darting between the glowing sword and her still-glowing wound, which was rapidly closing before her eyes, to her astonishment.

When the wound was closed, the glow faded and Eve brought the hilt close to her face, inspecting it thoroughly, amazement all over her face.

There it was. Right there at the very bottom of the hilt.

How could she have not seen it before?

Probably because she hadn't known what it looked like before, and thought of it as nothing but ornamental.

But now she knew better.

It was materia. Small white-tinted translucent stones that wrapped around the very bottom of the hilt in a single line. It had healed her... the very weapon that had injured her, and fatally, she had thought.

Eve stood up, still significantly weakened from the battle, and glanced outside the chamber through the open door. The sun was rising, meaning it had taken the materia at least fourteen hours to heal her, if not longer. Maybe days. She didn't know. It was obviously not significantly strong materia, but it had done the job and she was grateful.

Slowly, she began to pace back and forth through the chamber.

The Materia Gauntlet was gone, of course. She knew better than to suspect that they might have forgotten about it.

She stopped pacing and held up the sword again, examining it once more for anything else she might have missed. She was damn amazed that the previous owner of the sword had been so thorough and prepared. Even arming his armament.

She briefly gazed at her reflection in the blade, seeing the glow of her eyes. It was weaker than it had been before, but it was there.

Sighing, Eve sat down on the floor again, her back against a wall.

As of now, she wasn't sure about anything. She didn't know what she wanted to do. She thought back to the last moments of the battle, to Rinoa looking down at her with glassy dark eyes, to the tears falling out of her own eyes.

The remorse had been genuine. There was no question. Eve hadn't meant to let things get so out of hand, to let herself be so easily manipulated.

But it had happened, and everyone paid a price for it.

She had tried to stop it, but when she began to explain things to Rinoa, her will had failed. Her mouth involuntarily fabricated a story, her apparent history, with only portions of the truth revealed.

They may never know.

Surely, she would be attacked on site if she were to approach Garden. Chances are, even if she did get through, she would lose control again. Her will would once again deteriorate. _He_ would take over.

For now she had no choice but to lay low. To let them think she was dead.

At least for a while.

* * *

A/N: It's finished. I know it fell off toward the end there, but there's a reason for it, lame as it may be. I've been so eager to start on other stories, that I was in a bit of a hurry to end this one, so we must suffer a crappy last few chapters. So... Eve lives. You haven't heard the last from her, just so you know. Anyway, again, hold your criticism, because I'm gonna go though it and do some editing and small changes here and there... Feel free to drop lines and questions as reviews... I'll read them and may even respond on the review page. Or you may email me, I suppose, at

Now, on to the thanks and responses (I may not get to answer everyone, though)-

DBH- You get top billing, my friend. Thanks so much for your loyalty and reviews. You are my hero. But, you already knew that. Keep in touch, and keep your eyes peeled for new stories. I may not do FF8 immediately, though, so you have my permission to wait for the next FF8 story, if you wish. :)

Rinoa Leonheartilly- Thanks for stickin' with me, and for reviewing the chapters religiously! I hope you still enjoyed it up to the crappy end!

TrinForever- I love your story, by the way. Thanks for reviewing from so early on, and I hope you're still with me! Watch for more stuff! I'll be sure to keep tabs on your stuff, too!

yummychocolatexD- Well, your reviews were certainly some of the more enthusiastic, and for that you have my gratitude... that's the kind of stuff that kept me motivated to write more. Thanks a bunch!

Frederikke Neergaard- I appreciate that you gave me constructive criticism while always expressing that you were enjoying my story. Thanks for that. Hope to see your reviews on my next one!

DoubleMoon- One of my favorite authors and reviewers! It was a great pleasure to review your stories, and an honor to see you review mine. Keep up the great writing! And also, thanks for the references to my story you gave everyone! I'm so glad I impressed you that much!

DBZ Fanfiction Queen- Yet another great author that took the time to read and review my story. Thanks so much! Oh, and thanks for holding the criticism... I know it was pretty bad toward the end there, but hey... I tried. Thanks again!

Chris Ganale- Yikes... I'm sorry if I re-opened fresh wounds there. I know all about those situations. I wish you well. Hope you got some enjoyment out of the story, anyway! If you didn't, I understand. Thanks for reading!

Lung- YOU ROCK!

starquestor- YOU ROCK, TOO!

Knighted- Thanks for all the reviews! If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't have come close to 100.

I'm too eager to post this, so I'm gonna name everyone else here:

THANKS SO MUCH to tainted-gump, Rikke Leonhart, shortie630, xInsanoBananax (great name!), Calicat 1, silverkitsune3 (you rock, too!), Rebekka, Angelprinczess29, Quisty878, Griever (that's still the nicest thing anyone's said!), lendmemoni, and Littletiny.

I FCKING LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

Slartibartfast- you're such a dork. love ya!


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